Lukas Ndafoluma

Date of Birth: 25 December 1985 Place of Birth: Oshakati Marital Status: Single Nickname: Demolisher

Car: BMW E46

Your most memorable fight?

When I fought against Craig Cunningham in Manchester in 2017. I won the fight on points.

Biggest career disappointment?

When I lost my first professional fight against Mandume Pohamba in 2014.

Who is the biggest influence on your career? My late father.

Favourite local or international boxer?

Locally, it is Nathanael ‘Natty’ Kakololo and internationally it is Jason Rosario from Dominican Republic.

If not boxing, which other sport would you have chosen?

I would have been a soccer player.

You recently defeated Malawi’s Simeon Tcheta to be crowned the new WBO Africa middleweight champion. How’s the feeling?

It feels super great to be a champion again, and I look forward to bigger fights and bigger paydays.

Also, your victory over Tcheta marked the 20th anniversary of your boxing career. What has kept you going so strong over the years?

The faith that I have kept in God; even though I went through some ups and downs. I trust Him [God] because he gave me this talent, and I’m still here standing strong because of his endless grace.

Now that you have captured the elusive WBO Africa middleweight title, what’s next on your list?

Next is to defend my title and improve my world ranking so that I can fight for a world title in the near future.

Do you think upcoming local boxers are given enough platforms and opportunities to showcase their talents, especially when speaking from a development standpoint?

Frankly speaking, I think there are now more opportunities, especially when compared to how it was in the past – and now with MTC also onboard, there are really plenty of opportunities for local fighters.

What should Namibia do for boxing to catch up with the rest of the world?

Namibians, especially the corporate world, should support boxing financially and otherwise, because more sponsors onboard mean faster growth and development of the sport locally.

Your ambitions for 2021 and beyond?

The year 2021 will see me defend my title as much as I can and fight to push for a world title shot.