By Otniel Hembapu
WINDHOEK – In the aftermath of last Saturday’s defeated at the hands of Immanuel ‘Prince’ Naidjala, Joseph ‘Smokey Joe’ Hilongwa yesterday humbled himself and openly admitted that Naidjala defeated him fair and square.
During the buildup to last weekend’s mega fight, Hilongwa was the chief trash-taker and would waste little time in launching scathing attacks on Naidjala, even when least expected.
But in a twist of events at the Windhoek Country club last Saturday, Hilongwa was agonisingly made to eat his own words when Naidjala punished him in every round that came, until the dreadlocked Hilongwa started seeking salvage in random ring-runnings.
At yesterday’s press briefing, Hilongwa partly blamed a bruised left rib for his poor performance at the weekend but, however, conceded that although he gave one of his best performances under trying circumstances, Naidjala was the better fighter on the night and deserved the win.
“I would wholeheartedly like to apologise to my fans and all those that came to support us, it was a really poor performance and I know I should have done much better, had it not been for the bruised rib. But without making funny excuses, ‘Prince’ is in a league of his own and was the better fighter on the night, he defeated me fair and square,” added Hilongwa.
On his side, Naidjala verbally gave Hilongwa a tap on the shoulder, and commended him for showing courage. He equally admitted that his opponent failed to deliver the kind of competition many expected of him, saying he was not bothered much by the situation beforehand and knew that he was going to trounce Hilongwa.
“I went into the ring and did what I do best because I wanted a win. To be quite honest, I’m in a different league when compared to ‘Smokey’ and I’m glad the public finally got their answer,” said Naidjala.
Meanwhile, Namibia’s internationally acclaimed boxing promoter, Nestor Tobias hailed all the boxers for a job a well done following a good showing at last weekend’s bonanza, which saw most boxers win their bouts in their respective weight categories.
“ I’m very impressed with the boxers’ overall performance and that clearly shows our boxers are now world-class and have reached the level where they can take on any credible opponents. The attendance was equally impressive and such support is what keeps the boxers going,” concluded Tobias.