Sekotswe denies chickening out

FREDERICK KEBADIRETSE
Staff Writer | Friday June 28, 2013 00:00

 

Professional boxer Leslie Sekotswe has dismissed reports that he has chickened out of the International Boxing Council (IBC) Inter Bantamweight title rematch bout against Namibia's Imanuel 'Prince' Naindjala. Sekotswe said a jaw injury forced him out of the bout that was scheduled for Windhoek country club on July 5. The Namibian media reported earlier this week that Sekotswe had 'developed cold feet and chickened out' of the bout. Emilio Norfat of Kenya has been roped in as his substitute.Speaking to Mmegi Sport yesterday, Sekotswe said he was looking forward to a rematch. 'I did not chicken out, I was looking forward to this rematch and I was going to beat that guy,' he said. He said throughout his professional career he has never been afraid of anyone, but unfortunately injuries are part of boxing. He said he did a medical exam and the doctor said he would be fit for the fight, but he continued feeling the pain. He said he asked for the bout to be postponed but the organisers in Namibia refused, leaving him with no choice but to pull out.

His manager, Bond Ngubula of Bond Promotions, echoed the boxer's words saying he was injured and it was up to Sekotswe to decide whether he wanted to fight or not. 'The doctor said he could fight, but at the end of the day it is the discretion of the boxer to say if he is ready, based on how he is feeling,' he told Mmegi Sport. He said Sekotswe got injured in the first bout in Namibia, but recovered, only to be injured again last week during a sparring session. He said he advised him to cease training for a few days and the doctor said he will be ready in three weeks, hence they wanted the bout to be postponed to end of July.He said the promoters could not take any of that saying they had already spent a lot of resources promoting the bout and had to go ahead with it hence they had to get a replacement. Naindjala's team travelled to Botswana in April to promote the rematch.

Ngubula said unfortunately when a boxer is forced out of a bout by circumstances like injuries, some may see it as chickening out. He said they have also invested resources in preparing for the bout, but there was nothing they could do. However, other boxers Tefo Letshikgwane and Kgomotso Bok, who were scheduled to fight alongside Sekotswe will proceed to make their professional debuts in Namibia.Sekotswe, who is the reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) Pan African champion, seems to be dogged by misfortune. Just last year, his long planned World Boxing Federation (WBF) junior bantamweight title fight was indefinitely postponed and it looks like it will never take place.