Tyson's visit hangs in the balance
Calistus Kolantsho | Saturday March 23, 2024 06:00
To bring one of the world's greatest boxing icons to Botswana, it will cost the organisers P7.8 million after the fee was reduced from P13.6 million.
One of the event organisers, Moabi Ngaka told MmegiSport that they are racing against time to secure sponsorship for Tyson to travel to Maun over the Easter Holiday. “We have knocked on several doors but nothing is coming forth. We tried to seek assistance from the Office of the President and Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO), but it was tough.
We thought that the government would grab this opportunity to make sure that the greatest professional boxer alive visits our shores,” he said. Ngaka said the presence of Tyson was going to have a positive impact on the country, especially the tourism sector and even draw a sizable audience to Maun.
The 57-year-old former heavyweight champion has 26.7 million followers on Instagram. Meanwhile, Ngaka said preparations for ‘The Rumble in the Okavango’ are ongoing despite the challenge. Ngaka will step into the ring against decorated boxer, Mark John ‘The Journey Man’ Yap from the Philippines for the World Boxing Foundation (WBF) Super Featherweight title at the Maun Sports Complex on March 30. The two boxers will go at each other in a bout which is set for 10 rounds. Ngaka has had limited opportunities in pro boxing with a record of seven fights, five wins, one draw, and one loss.
He has a mountain to climb when he takes on Yap, who has 17 years of experience, an unbeaten run of 10 wins in Japan, picking up three Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation titles in a winning stretch that finally ended in a point loss to world rated number two, Takuma Inoue. Ngaka told MmegiSport that there were many opponents he could have picked but he decided to choose Yap. “There were easier boxers I could have picked from Asia, but I wanted Yap because he boasts huge experience in the ring. He is a warrior and I want us to go to war.
My preparations for the bout have been intense and I am ready for anything. I expect to pull an upset against my opponent,” said Ngaka. ‘The Eagle’ as Ngaka is commonly known to his fans, is renowned for his cardio and loose movements in the ring, and he thinks that his Filipino opponent will be swinging in the air as the bout progresses.
The event is organised by Okavango Consortium in conjunction with Vietnam-based, VSP Promotions. Ngaka explained that the event is not only about his clash for the title, but it is an opportunity for other local pro boxers to showcase their talent, and other boxers from neighbouring countries have been drawn up against opponents from China, India, and Vietnam.
Other bouts Super Lightweight: Kutlwano Ogaketse (Botswana) vs Yesihati Yeerken (China). Stance: Orthodox. Welterweight: Kagiso Bagwasi (Botswana) vs Sagar Chaudhary (India). Stance: Bagwasi: Southpaw; Chaudhary: Orthodox. Super Featherweight: Steven Bagwasi (Botswana) vs Arnel Baconaje (Philippines). Stance: Orthodox. Featherweight: Jeff Magagane (South Africa) vs Jon Jon Estrada (Philippines). Stance: Orthodox. Lightweight: Hafeni Ngesheya (Namibia) vs Nguyen Van Hai (Vietnam). Stance: Orthodox. Bantamweight: Mahommed Rajab Otukile (Botswana) vs Rungi Zhou (China). Stance: Orthodox. Super Bantamweight: Tinashe Majoni (Zimbabwe) vs Mazhar Hussain (India). Stance: Orthodox. Featherweight: David Kapusu (Zambia) vs Thai Hoang Huy (Vietnam). Stance: Orthodox.