Ndou to fight before home fans
FORMER world champion Phillip “Time Bomb” Ndou is delighted he has been given the opportunity to fight in front of his home fans in Thohoyandou.
PHILLIP “Time Bomb” Ndou is delighted he has been given the opportunity to fight in front of his home fans in Thohoyandou.
The former SA and WBA Inter-Continental featherweight and WBU and WBC International junior-lightweight title holder said he had always wanted to fight at home since he turned professional in 1997 at age 20.
“I have always wanted to fight at home but that never happened. Promise has now made it possible for me,” he said.
Boxing promoter Promise Moyo’s Skylon Promotion will stage his bout against Tanzanian Shauri Ramadhani at Thohoyandou Town Hall on Sunday.
Their bout has been described as preparation for Ndou’s quest for the IBF African welterweight title, held by US-based Ghanaian Fredrick “General Okunka” Lawson.
“I’m not undermining Ramadhani,” said Ndou. “But one thing is for sure; I aim to win and get back to the top, where I belong.”
Ramadhani, a 22-year-old former IBF Inter-Continental featherweight and Universal Boxing Union international lightweight champion from Da-es-Salaam, has 10 knockouts in 19 wins to eight defeats and a draw.
Ndou made a comeback in 2013 after a three-year layoff by getting off the canvass to pulverise Pius “Mr Hercules” Dipheko in the fifth round.
Ndou then went to Namibia, where he outpointed Pohamba Mandume over eight rounds. He has not fought since.
Ndou turned professional after the 1996 Atlanta Olympics where he lost to eventual gold medallist, Kamsing Somluck of Thailand. It was there that Ndou met Floyd Mayweather Junior, who won bronze in the featherweight division.
Mayweather and Ndou clashed in the US as professional fighters in 2003, the American winning in seven rounds for the WBC lightweight belt.
Ndou knocked out 33 of 38 opponents under the tutelage of trainer Nick Durandt.
He is now trained by former fighters Lehlohonolo Ledwaba and Andries Dick.
On the same card, former SA junior flyweight female champion Lisbeth Sivhaga from Polokwane meets Fatuma Ramadhani of Tanzania in a nontitle bout over six rounds. The tournament starts at 2pm.