WINDHOEK: Fillipus Nghitumbwa, Namibia’s Super Bantamweight boxer successfully defended his World Boxing Organisation (WBO) Africa Super Bantam title against DeKang Wang from China.

This was Nghitumbwa’s first title defence after winning the WBO Africa Super Bantamweight title in December 2023 when he defeated Thato Bonokoane of South Africa.

On Saturday, Nghitumbwa, who has a record of 15 fights and 13 wins (12 of which were via knockout), faced an undefeated Asian boxer, DeKang, who has a record of nine fights and nine wins.

To retain his title, Nghitumbwa delivered a stunning performance which impressed all three judges, after 12 intense rounds of boxing at the Ramatax Hall in Otjomuise, Windhoek.

Despite being known for his knockout ability, Nghitumbwa found it tough to crack DeKang, who gave both Namibian and Chinese boxing fans in attendance value for their money as the two boxers exchanged leather.

In the end, all three judges scored in Nghitumbwa’s favour, and he successfully retained his title e
xtending his record to 14 wins.

Speaking after the fight Nghitumbwa said he underestimated his opponent from the start and had to learn the hard way that DeKang was resilient, and it forced him to elevate his performance.

‘The win means a lot to me. I will maybe now see myself in the top ten of the world rankings,’ he said.

DeKang who was handed his first career defeat said the defeat was difficult to accept, but he was optimistic about bouncing back.

‘My opponent is a very good competitor, we had a good fight but I am looking forward to my next fight,’ DeKang said.

Meanwhile, Jeremia Nakathila defeated Evans Sithole, while Immanuel Mungandjera won via a knockout against Tranos Zihove, both from Zimbabwe.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency