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Home / I’ll prove all doubting Thomases wrong – Ushona
I’ll prove all doubting Thomases wrong – Ushona
2016-06-24Staff Report 2 Windhoek Namibia’s former WBO Africa welterweight champion, Bethuel ‘Tyson’ Ushona, has many reasons to beat Deniz Ilbay and capture the vacant WBF Welterweight world title come Saturday, and one such reason is to prove to all doubting Thomases that he still has what it takes to compete at the highest level. The veteran pugilist, aged 34, will face Ilbay for the vacant World Boxing Federation (WBF) welterweight world title tomorrow at the Indoor Sport Complex in Walvis Bay. Speaking at a well attended press conference in the capital yesterday, a relaxed-looking Ushona welcomed his German opponent Ilbay with a stern warning, promising to deliver a boxing masterpiece that will make all armchair critics sit up and eat humble pie. “I’m ready for this fight and have really prepared well. My coaches have done their part, so it’s now up to me to do the rest come Saturday. I’m in perfect shape and Ilbay should expect nothing but the best from me. I have fought the best world champions before and I know what it takes to compete at this level and I know I will deliver the desired results tomorrow,’ said Ushona. At the other end of the table, an equally relaxed and unfazed Ilbay shot back at Ushona, cautioning him to expected a tough fight as he is in Namibia on a mission to accomplish only one thing and that’s to win the title. “Ushona is a great fighter with so much experience and I respect him for that, but tomorrow will be a different ball game, as I’m here to win the title and that’s what I plan to do. I had about two weeks to prepare for the fight, but prior to that I had another fight, so that means I’m 100% fit and in great shape to deliver a good performance,’ said Ilbay. Ushona brings a fine record of 34 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw to the fight and has a clear advantage over the inexperienced 21-year-old Ilbay from Cologne, Germany who has 15 wins and 1 defeat to his name. While this will be Ushona’s eighteenth championship fight, the visitor has only taken part in five. But youth is a strong factor in this evenly-matched encounter and Ilbay showed tremendous grit and determination in his sole career-loss, when he came up short on points to one of the sport’s most touted new names, the undefeated wrecking-ball Egidijus Kavaliauskas on the Manny Pacquiao versus Tim Bradley undercard in Las Vegas last April. Tickets for tomorrow’s fight are available at all Computicket outlets countrywide. General ticket: N$150; VIP ticket: N$300 and VVIP tables seating ten people will cost N$10 000 each. - Additional source: boxingnews24.com 2016-06-24Staff Report 2
