Ambunda out to cement legacy by winning WBA world title

WINDHOEK, March 6 — Pugilist Paulus Ambunda has said in an interview that he can only be considered a boxing legend once he wins the World Boxing Association (WBA) world title.
But some may argue that the former World Boxing Organization (WBO) Bantamweight world champion and two-time International Boxing Orgnization (IBO) world champion is already a legend as he has gone down the annals of history as the only Namibian boxer ever to win three different boxing world titles in two different weight divisions.
In 2013 he defeated Thailand’s Panya Uthok and won the WBO bantamweight world title through a unanimous decision in Windhoek before he went on to lose the title to Tomoki Kameda of Japan in August of that same year in the Philippines.

When Ambunda went up a division in 2015, he won the International Boxing Organization (IBO) Super-Bantamweight world title after dispatching Leandro David Esperante of Argentina in Windhoek.

He, however, lost the IBO Super-Bantamweight title to Moises Flores of Mexico on June 11 in 2016 in Windhoek, six months after he had successfully defended it against Jason Cooper of Australia.

Last year, Ambunda retained the IBO world title when he defeated Muhamad Ridhwan on 29 September in Singapore in the Super-Bantamweight division.

Come 19 September this year, Ambunda will clash again with Ridhwan as both fighters will seek to maximise their chances for the vacant WBC title in Singapore.

The two men were initially supposedly to fight on 3 March but the fight was postponed due to certain developments, and an eager Ambunda has been hitting the gym.

“Training has been going very well and I cannot wait to fight him (Ridhwan) once again.I am very much confident that I am going to win the WBC title. I cannot be considered a legend even if I happens to win the WBC. I first want to win the WBA of which is when I can be considered as one of the best boxers in the world,”Ambunda said. – NDN Staffer