Cheka now blames drubbing in Namibia fight on fatigue

Dar es Salaam. Tanzanian professional boxer Cosmas Cheka has blamed fatigue for his defeat to Paulus Moses in Nambia.

Cheka, who suffered technical knockout (TKO) in the fifth round in the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) Africa Lightweight bout, says he endured a six-day road trip to Namibia.

He is among three Tanzania boxers who left for Namibia earlier this month for international fights.

His compatriots Twalibu Tuwa and Mohamed Kamburuta also suffered humiliating defeats in their respective bouts.

In an interview with The Citizen in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Cheka said they arrived in Namibia five days before the fights.

They were accompanied by an official from the Tanzania Professional Boxing Commission (TPBC).

Cheka said they travelled to Namibia via Harare, Zimbabwe by a bus.

According to Cheka, they were compelled to comply with various challenges on their way to Windhoek, Namibia.

“Initially, we were told that we would get return air tickets to Namibia,” he said.

He said they were forced to travel by road to honour the bouts after TPBC official Chaurembo Palasa told them that bout promoter had refused to foot travelling costs.

When contacted for comment on the matter, Cheka’s manager Juma “Chief” Ndambile said he was not officially informed about the boxer’s bout in Namibia.

For his part, TPBC official Chaurembo Palasa admitted that the commission endorsed the boxers’ trip to Namibia.

The National Sports Council (NSC) said later yesterday that the boxers did not follow proper channels.

The NSC secretary general, Mohamed Kiganja, said they were supposed to secure permission from the council through the TPBC.

A few days before the WBO Africa Lightweight fight, Namibian boxer Paulus Moses was quoted as saying from Windhoek that nothing would stop him from knock out his Tanzanian challenger.

Moses told Cheka, who had fought in Namibia before against Albinus ‘Danny Boy’ Felesianu, that he should forget about Danny Boy because he was now facing “Hitman.”

“I was born fit so you should forget about Danny Boy and think about me because you are going to fight me,” he said.

Cheka, who referred to Moses as “the old man,” also said after arriving in Namibia that he was pleased to return to Namibia and ready to send the former world champion into retirement.

He said winning outside his home country was normal to him and that is what he was going to do to take the title with him.

“I am here to win and gain the support of the fans. Take it from me, I am going to take the title to Tanzania,” the Tanzanian boxer said ahead of the fight.