Erasmus Shalihaxwe
Boxing promoter, Nestor Tobias has strong hopes that 2025 is going to be a better year for boxing.
Tobias expressed the hope during an interview with the Windhoek Observer on Wednesday while highlighting boxing activities in 2024 and outlining aspirations for 2025.
He said 2025 would be better, especially for his stable, as some of his boxers have good chances of winning world titles.
“The current crop of boxers in the academy are hungry for success and they show it whenever they step into the ring to fight. Hence, some of them are in the world ranking, which is a good chance for them because no boxer can fight for the world title if they are not in the world ranking,” he said.
Tobias, who is the founder of MTC Nestor Tobias Boxing and Fitness Academy, has produced world champions before with the likes of Paulus Moses, Julius Indongo, Paulus Ambunda, and some more national and continental titles as well.
‘’We have guys like Mateus Heita, who is still undefeated. Fillipus Nghitumbwa, who has even though tested defeated, is in the world ranking, and we have John Ndjolonimus, who is also undefeated, and many others who are capable of winning world titles. So hopefully next we will bring another world title to the land of the brave.
Becoming a world champion is the dream of every sportsman.
Otherwise, if you don’t have that dream, then you have no business in boxing, and you better leave because you are wasting time and space for those who want to be world champions,’’ stated Tobias.
He added that organising a boxing fight is very costly and when you are in Namibia, it puts you at a disadvantage because there are no television rights and pay-per-view in Namibia to help generate more revenue, and foreign boxers are also paid in foreign currency.
‘’If you bring in foreign boxers you have to pay them in US dollars, and the currency exchange rate is now close to N$20 per U$1, unlike ten years ago when the rate was better. But that is not an excuse. We will continue pushing as we have done before, as we have produced world champions in the past. This country is blessed with boxing talent. With our small population, we have done better than countries with bigger populations and better facilities,’’ said Tobias.
He added that the academy is grateful to its main sponsor, MTC, and co-sponsor, PST Bet, as well as Namibians who buy tickets to go watch boxing. Because without them, the academy won’t be able to organise a boxing event in the country.
