We are leaving no stone unturned: Ambunda

WINDHOEK, 23 AUG  – Namibian pugilist Paulus Ambunda’s preparations for his fight against Muhamad Ridhwan of Singapore are going well.
The two will square off for the vacant International Boxing Organisation (IBO) world super bantamweight title in Singapore on 29 September.
“Things are going smoothly. I have a good team which is pushing me very hard,” Ambunda told Nampa on enquiry Thursday.
The former World Boxing Organisation (WBO) and IBO world champion has since roped in a conditioning coach and a dietician.
His coaches are Nicky Natangwe and Immanuel Moses, while the conditioning coach is Martin Angombe and the dietician is Saviour Abel Kauna.
His aim is to win the world title “convincingly”, seeing that he will be fighting away from home.
“I have been there before. I have fought as an amateur away from home for most of my time. I am used to it. I won my world titles outside Namibia so I have the experience to deal with that kind of pressure,” Ambunda added.
He does not underestimate his opponent, but “will just teach him a lesson on the night”.
‘El Jesus’, as the 38-year-old Ambunda is now known, said he will draw inspiration from his performance in the Philippines when he won the world titles.
His views were echoed by Moses, who said their game plan is to win either by a knockout or convincingly via points.
“Fighting outside Namibia is always a problem. But El Jesus has been there and done that. With that said, we will not relax. We are training for a 13-round boxing bout,” he said.
Moses said during training they focus on all aspects of boxing – from defence to attack and finishing off.
All they have to do is win the fight from round one till round 12, he added.
“Fighting outside Namibia is difficult because you may get a bad decision. The advantage for your opponent is always based on the investment they put in…We only have to go and spoil the party,” Moses said.
On Ambunda’s age and height, Moses said that is not a problem.
“In terms of height, Ambunda is the shortest guy in the division (1.62 metres). He has been fighting taller guys ever since. With age, it depends on the work you put in, which is why we called in a conditioning coach and a dietician. Also in the bantamweight, the older you get, the better boxer you become,” said Moses.
Ambunda has also won the IBO International super featherweight title as well as the IBO Inter-continental super featherweight title.
He has an impressive record of 26 wins and two defeats, while the 30-year-old Ridhwan has 11 wins from 11 fights.
Ambunda is a former double world champion, having won the WBO bantamweight world title in 2013 and the IBO World super bantamweight title in 2015. – NAMPA