Carlos Kambaekwa
Windhoek-Boasting an incredibly squeaky clean record of six wins out of the same number of bouts in the paid ranks with five of those finishing inside the distance – Vakufilapo “The Cowboy” Wilhelm is the new king threatening to lay his hands on the boxing throne.
His remarkable unbeaten run that saw him coming out unscathed in the amateur ranks after 42 fights accompanied by a sizable number of stoppages is something to be taken seriously.
At 28, Namibia’s Super Welterweight boxer Wilhelm is a man possessed and judging from the young man’s confidence, he is surely destined for the bigger stage and only time will tell.
Unlike athletes in other sporting disciplines, professional boxers usually mature with age and “The Cowboy” seems he is no exception to this rule.
Having just turned professional last year under the shrewd stewardship of prominent local boxing trainer Tobias Nashilongo, the self-proclaimed “Man from “Texas” is making waves in local boxing – setting tongues wagging with his incredible speed and great footwork, while packing dynamite in his knuckles.
The orthodox boxer is the incumbent holder of the National Super Welterweight belt after he dispatched the equally dangerous Simeon Shofondini in a unanimous points decision over ten rounds at the Ramatex Hall last December.
“I’ve been boxing since I was an eight-year old village boy because our homestead was just a stone throw from a nearby secondary school in the Oshikoto Region,” he told New Era sports.
“My cousin used to train there and would always drag me along for sparring sessions and that’s how I developed interest in the business of trading leather,” a confident Cowboy said.
The calculated mild mannered young fellow is also the current WBF Africa Super Welterweight champion following his first round stoppage triumph against his jelly legged South African opponent George Mdluli on home turf.
Despite a relatively short but highly impressive resume in the paid ranks, The Cowboy is itching for more fights against formidable opponents.
“My ultimate aim is to overhaul the face of local boxing by making the sports more attractive and entertaining for the paying customers and fans.
“Obviously, I’m well aware and fully understands the ultimate aim in the sport of boxing is to inflict serious bodily harm to your opponent but boxing is not only about getting in the ring and start unleashing blows – it’s all about entertainment and this is something that has been lacking in Namibian boxing since the days of Harry Simon.”
The highly confident Cowboy adds that he is working hard to add and implement a new dimension to local boxing by introducing attractive marketing strategies through proper marketing in an effort to entice more boxing fans.
So far, all his professional bouts have been promoted by Salute Boxing Promotions but Cowboy insists he is under no legal contract with the emerging stable neither is he under any binding contractual agreement with his trusted trainer Tobias Nashilongo.
He strongly feels boxers should not be tied to stables, doubling as matchmakers while at the same time operating as trainers as such a practice, he maintains, constitutes a serious conflict of interest and ultimately leading to animosity between trainers and boxers.