Nkabiti's professional career off to a good start

CHIPPA LEGODIMO
Correspondent | Thursday October 8, 2009 00:00

 

Over the weekend, the South African-based boxer proved that his first win against Masanda Kakasa was not a fluke when he stopped the highly regarded Jony Koen in the first two minutes of a four-round bout at Emperors Palace in South Africa. The man called the 'Raging Bull' is optimistic about his professional career after the two wins, which have thrust him to the limelight.

'What made my fight against Koen even more special was the fact that it took place at Emperors Palace which is regarded as Africa's Las Vegas.

Putting such an impressive performance in front of such a huge crowd which included legends of the sport such as British boxer Ricky Hatton was fantastic and it has boosted my confidence a lot. You never know what to expect when you venture into an unknown territory but to go on and win on knock-out as an unknown makes that moment memorable,' the excited boxer said.

Nkabiti said he was even happier that he managed to outclass the left-handed Koen saying it has never been easy for him to win against southpaws. 'I lost to the same type of boxer at the Sydney Olympics and after I learnt that Koen was left-handed, I knew it was not going to be easy. But I had practised a lot for this fight sparring with boxers with powerful left jabs. I believe fighting against Cassius Baloyi in preparation for this fight also helped a lot. He is a former world champion and his experience helped me,' he explained.

Apparently the South African fans now call Nkabiti 'Pretty Boy' after his two wins.Although he has not lost the aggression that earned him nick names like the 'Raging Bull' and the 'Hard Hitting Nkabiti', the boxer believes his new nick-name was derived from the clever manner in which he outsmarted his opponents in the last two fights.

'My methods are greatly influenced by the type of opponent I am facing. Sometimes I just run around the ring so that my opponent would waste energy trying to catch me and then I would start attacking once I have read his moves. But at times, I prefer to attack aggressively and keep my opponent at bay.

I never set out to know Koen so early in the fight. It was just that I discovered seconds after the fight started that he wanted to advance at me quickly and I started to attack him instead of retreating and waiting to catch him off guard,' he said.

Back home for a short break, Nkabiti has been keeping busy by training at SSKB as he prepares for another fight before the end of the year.

'I will be going back soon and I want to be in good shape because we could secure another fight in the near future.

I do not want to find myself rusty when the formal training starts,' he said.