WINDHOEK – Local leading boxing promoter Nestor “Sunshine” Tobias yesterday strongly rejected perceptions that in order for Namibian boxers to conquer the global arena, they will need the impetus of top international trainers as opposed to locals.
Speaking at a press conference in the capital yesterday, where boxer Walter Kautondokwa was welcomed back from his botched American safari where he was outpointed by homeboy Demetrius Andrade in Boston, Tobias said the jinx troubling local boxers whenever they compete internationally has nothing to do with the competence of local coaches.
“I heard people saying that maybe it’s time for Nestor to start looking for international trainers to help him with the boxers because our local trainers are not good enough. But it is very unfair for people to suggest that, because these are the very same trainers that help Namibia produce more than three world champions for the country. If they (the critics) say that we should perhaps try and learn more from our European and American counterparts, that I will understand and agree with, but to suggest that our local coaches are unskilled and inexperienced is totally unfair,” said Tobias, who at times also doubles up as promoter and trainer of his boxers.
The award-winning promoter added that it will need serious investment and resources to collaborate with or hire world-renowned trainers to hone the skills of local fighters, saying his academy is financially not in a position to hire highly qualified foreign coaches.
“You see, to bring an American trainer full-time to your gym here in Namibia requires serious financial muscle and investment in certain areas of the business. Most top American trainers are paid huge sums of money and they are at times even paid per week, and that is a commitment we as an academy are currently not in a position to undertake due to limited resources. But one thing for sure is that Namibia is blessed with some of the best trainers on the continent and we have proven that time and again by producing world champions, despite the little resources at our disposal,” he further explained.
Although the country has enjoyed decent success on the European stage, Namibian boxers are yet to burst the American bubble and recent efforts by veteran Paulus “The Hitman” Moses, Julius “Blue Machine” Indongo and more recently Kautondokwa all proved futile, but Tobias insists that success for Namibia in the western hemisphere is within touching distance.