Malawian boxers lose title bouts in Namibia
Malawian boxers Limbani Masamba, Israel Kam’mwamba and Mussa Ajibu lost their international bouts to Namibian opponents in Windhoek on Saturday night.
Masamba failed to snatch a World Boxing Federation (WBF) Africa super welterweight title from Vakufilapo Wilhelm following a sixth round technical knockout (TKO) defeat while Kam’mwamba lost the vacant WBF Africa featherweight title bout on split decision against Nathaniel Kakololo. Ajibu lost through a third-round technical knockout (TKO) against Wilberforce Shihepo.
According to www.allafrica.com, Masamba surrendered in the main title bout after being overwhelmed by a flurry of punches from his undefeated opponent.
“After catching Masamba on the ropes, Wilhelm unleashed a flurry of heavy blows and although the Malawian tried to slug it out, he was no match for the powerful Wilhelm,” the website stated.
“Masamba decided he had had enough and after two minutes 39 seconds, he put his hands up in surrender and walked away; leaving the referee [with no option] but to stop the fight.”
This was Masamba’s 10th defeat in 22 fights (12 wins) while Wilhelm’s record stands at seven successive victories as a professional.
As for Kam’mwamba, who fought in the main supporting bout, the website reported that he was up to the task as with fortunes swaying to and fro, as both boxers gave it their all to the delight of the 500-strong crowd.
However, Kakololo “got a second wind by the eighth round and edged the final rounds to win a unanimous decision with the judges scoring it 98-92, 97-93, 99-92 in his favour”.
Nevertheless, Ajibu’s bout ended in dramatic fashion after he landed on the canvas a few times, complaining that Shihepo had pushed him down.
“The end came in dramatic fashion when Ajibu was pushed down again, but this time, he shook his head indicating that he did not want to continue and the referee stopped the fight. With Shihepo celebrating his victory, Ajibu changed his mind, got up and once again started fighting with Shihepo, before both boxers’ corners stormed into the ring to pull them apart,” it explained.
Malawi professional Boxing Control Board (MPBCB) president Lonzoe Zimba has since expressed concern over the defeats.
“Although in sports we expect either to win or to lose, we are very much concerned with the latest results,” he said.
“However, we urge our boxers to only accept bouts when they are prepared not just because there is an opportunity to make money; they should look at their career and record. We have also urged our Namibian counterparts to desist from calling our boxers for bouts at eleventh hour as was the case with Masamba.”
