Meroro is a businessman – Moses

Immanuel ‘AC’ Moses, the owner of AC Boxing Academy, believes Vikapita Meroro is still playing a crucial role in honing the skills and craft of younger boxers.

Despite his string of seven consecutive defeats spanning from 2019 to 2022, Meroro, aged 38, remains an influential figure on the boxing scene, according to Moses.

The string of losses include notable opponents such as Akani Phuzi of South Africa and Nigeria’s Olanrewaju Durodola in 2019, as well as Bulgaria’s Tervel Pulev in 2021.

While winning only two of his last 15 fights have taken most of the gloss off an otherwise respectable career, Meroro during this period only managed to secure victories against Germany’s Shokran Parwani (6th-round technical knockout in May 2021 in Moscow) and Mussa Ajibu of Malawi (unanimous decision after 8 rounds at Ramatex in Windhoek in November 2018).

With the latter as his last fight appearance in his home country, Meroro’s current place in the hierarchy can best be described as a journeyman. The Namibian has in recent years been the travelling fighter in some exotic destinations such as Albania, Kazakhstan, Russia, Germany, Tanzania, Ghana and South Africa.

Despite the long list of defeats against, among others, Kazakhstan’s Danila Semenov, Germany’s Alexander Frank, Russia’s Evgeny Romanov, Albania’s Nelson Hysa and Belarus’ Viktar Chvarkou, his resilience remains unshaken.



COULD HAVE BEEN

Meroro’s persistence shines through with his record that now stands at 47 fights, 30 wins and 17 losses.

His professional debut was almost two decades ago, in October 2005, while in his prime he also earned the WBO Africa light heavyweight and WBO Africa cruiserweight belts.

Having tested his prowess at the elite level against Dmitry Kudryashov (2015) and Kevin Lerena (2017), the Namibian could conceivably have retired after the latter defeat with a respectable record of 28 wins and six losses.

A much-hyped catchweight showdown against retired Namibian ex-world champion Harry Simon in 2018 failed to materialise, with Simon going as far as paying Meroro a reported N$10 000 during the build-up to prepare his conditioning and cut weight. The fight however failed to gain the sanctioning of the Namibian Boxing Control Board.



MIND-SET

Moses emphasizes that Meroro’s professional approach distinguishes him from amateurs. He fights not merely for glory, but also for financial gain, embodying the mind-set of a true businessperson in the ring.

Moses believes that Meroro’s experience and professionalism could still open doors for lucrative opportunities abroad, underscoring his enduring value to the boxing community.



DRAWCARDS

Meroro will fight on the undercard of the AC Boxing Academy’s Boxing Bonanza on 13 April at the Roman Catholic Hall in Windhoek, when he will face compatriot Simeon Shafodino who has a record of 10 fights, 2 wins, 6 losses and 2 draws.

The event will also see the drawcard of former WBO Africa middleweight champion and world title challenger Walter Kautondokwa making a return to the ring.

The latter last fought in 2019, losing against Kanat Islam of Kazakhstan. He has 20 fights in total, with 18 wins (and an impressive 17 knockouts) and two losses.

Youthful boxer Flame Nangolo will headline the event, with his pro record now at 10 undefeated fights. His last fight was a win against David Shinuna last year October.

The boxing event is aimed at raising funds for the AC Boxing stable to complete work on its boxing gym in Eros which is currently under construction.