Namibia’s most-decorated boxing promoter Nestor ‘Sunshine’ Tobias was yesterday breathing fire following unwarranted attacks on the reputation of highly rated boxer Vikapita ‘Beast Master’ Meroro by detractors within boxing circles.
The highly gifted Meroro will trade leather with Russian boxer Dmitry Kudryashov for the WBA International Cruiserweight title on May 22 at the Luzhanki Sports Centre in Moscow, Russia.
With Meroro already facing such a mammoth task of making sure that the Namibian flag flies high on that night, some unpatriotic “Prophets of Doom” recently took to the media to discredit Meroro and insisted that the hard-punching Namibian does not stand a chance of bringing the title home.
But a clearly dismayed Tobias yesterday quickly leapt to the defence of his protégé, saying such attacks on the shining careers of his boxers, in this particular case Meroro, amount to jealousy and pure lack of success from the side of his critics.
“I have been training Meroro since he was an amateur boxer and I know him very well and believe in his boxing ability. He is a very talented fighter who is thirsty of winning and we have been pushing him to the limit in preparation for this fight. We know it won’t be easy because he will be facing an undefeated champion but we will go there with optimism. The Beast’s weight is under control and he was only 3kg over the cruiserweight limit last night,” said Tobias.
“Meroro’s record speaks for itself, so nobody has to speak on his behalf. He is the current WBO Africa Cruiserweight Champion and is rated number four in the world, which is a magnificent achievement. He has an excellent record of 32 fights, 28 wins and only four losses all against world-rated boxers. At this level in boxing, you do not get an invitation to fight a champion if you are not recognised in the world, so Meroro has done very well for himself and for Namibia, you cannot argue against his record or talent. The allegations and attacks are just pure nonsense.”
“Our academy is blessed with professional coaches with a visionary leadership for boxing. We have produced two world champions and more than 10 world-rated boxers, which is equivalent to what the whole of South Africa has produced so far. We work with the best boxing promotions around the world that’s why we have achieved what we have today but yet you still have people who have the audacity to challenge our record, it’s really a big shame on them. We should work together, build and motivate each other and not break each other down,” concluded an irate Tobias.