Carlos Kambaekwa
WINDHOEK – One of Namibia’s most promising professional boxers, Vakufilapo “Cowboy” Wilhelm, has sent shockwaves to the local boxing folklore by announcing his retirement from boxing with immediate effect whilst still at the pinnacle of his flourishing boxing career.
The soft spoken northern based boxer is the incumbent World Boxing Federation (WBF) All Africa Super Welterweight title holder and boasts a remarkable record seven wins out of the same number of bouts in the paid ranks, with six of them finishing within the distance.
His last fight was in April this year, when he sent the much-hyped Malawian opponent Lebani Masamba packing, via Technical Knockout (TKO) in the 6th round at the Windhoek Show Grounds Hall.
Aged 28, Wilhelm is widely tipped by boxing pundits, as a potential future world champion and his retirement caught many by surprise.
“It was not an easy decision, it took massive courage to quit the sport I’ve always loved and lived for my entire life but one has to take calculated risks at some stage of our lives.
“The reason why I decided to quit boxing is because I’m fully occupied with piles of out of the ring responsibilities, business wise, which requires my full attention.”
The immaculately dressed professional boxer owns an array of business outlets, which includes butchery in Otjiwarongo. He also owns a poultry farm in the north apart from livestock farming in the Grootfontein area.
“Look, boxing does not pay bills, I cannot neglect business which puts food on my table for boxing in the remote hope that I might one day crack the big jackpot.”
Interestingly, the lone roaming bachelor has declined a lifetime offer to be billed on one of mouth-watering under cards of the eagerly awaited Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder’s mega heavyweight world unification showdown.