After recently losing out on the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) interim world super featherweight title against America’s Shakur Stevenson, Namibia’s featherweight boxer Jeremiah ‘Low Key’ Nakathila has vowed not to slow down, as he eyes more of such big opportunities.
Nakathila, who returned home a few days ago after flight delays in the USA, said the Stevenson fight was one of the biggest bouts of his career – and despite the defeat, he has no room for regrets, as he plans to go after more of such big fights.
“We, unfortunately, had to stay in Las Vegas for three extra days because of flight issues but I am happy to be back home. It was a very technical fight; I lost against an extremely good boxer and I want to congratulate him for his victory over a tried and tested opponent like myself. It was arguably the toughest fight of Stevenson’s life. In most cases, such defeats are the end of many boxers’ careers but this defeat signals the beginning of new big things for me because I will go out there now even more hungry and better. I learned so much from this fight and I will be back in the ring very soon,” said an undeterred Nakathika.
Nakathila’s handler Nestor Tobias described the fight as very technical. “Both boxers were acutely aware not to commit any mistake and the level of concentration was extremely high. Stevenson moved quite a lot during the fight, using his excellent footwork to stay clear of Nakathila’s power while Nakathila was also avoiding his hand speed, which is his trademark to finish off so many of his opponents”
“Nakathila caught Stevenson very early on with solid and powerful shots and that is why he was always on the run, making this a very technical and difficult fight, in addition to fighting a southpaw (left-handed boxer), which made the clash of feet inevitable and uncomfortable. At the end of the day, Nakathila has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of because he did very well against a top-class boxer, but what is important is the lessons gained from this fight – and for us, it was a learning experience to make him an even better boxer and the sky is the limit for him,” said Tobias.
- ohembapu@nepc.com.na