The stage is set for the much-awaited World Boxing Federation (WBF) super middleweight world title bout between homeboy Francis Cheka and American Phil Williams at the Diamond Jubilee Hall in Dar es Salaam this evening.
Francis Cheka
The fight, the main event at the ‘Title Night in Tanzania’, pits one of Africa’s most celebrated boxers against an up-and-coming brawling fighter from the United States of America.
Cheka, the current IBF Continental Africa champion and the number one ranked super middleweight in Tanzania, is taking his 28-7 record with 16 Kos into the WBF fight against Williams who has complied an impressive 12-5 record with 11 Kos.
President Jakaya Kikwete will be on hand to lead Tanzanians cheer up Cheka who is facing a tough opponent who has already vowed to record a knockout victory away from home.
The president will be joined by the Minister for Information, Youth, Culture and Sports Fenella Mukangara, senior government officials and hundreds of boxing enthusiasts who will all pray for Cheka to win and force Williams swallow his words.
The American, who hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota, told reporters on Wednesday that he has prepared well for the 12-round fight and insisted that Cheka should expect to be knocked out very early in the ‘exceptional bout’. “
I have come here to win and I want to win the belt in early rounds,” Williams, better known as ‘The Drill’, who is fighting his first professional bout out of the US, told reporters in the city on Wednesday.
“I have trained well over the past couple of weeks, so I am confident of having the last laugh.” However, the 5’ 11” Williams admitted that Cheka is a good boxer who can beat any fighter in the middleweight category and his trainer, Filbert Seko Tongolo added weight to the fight when he predicted a tough showdown.
Tongola, a Tanzanian based in the US, described Cheka, 5’ 10 ½”, as one of the finest boxers in the country. “I cannot say who will win this duel because both boxers are good and have experience, thus whoever will punish the other’s mistakes will win it; let the best boxer take the title,” he said.
“Phil has a massive experience despite the fact that he has not fought outside the US. “He has a winning mentality and he is very strong, so the only thing I will say is that we have a good plan to win the title.”
The card includes four other exciting fights featuring many of Tanzania’s to-ranked boxers looking to dominate in their respective weight classes and move up in the international rankings.
WBF president Howard Goldberg who is already in the city said he was looking forward to witnessing a good fight and said the two boxers are the best in the weight category.
The WBF sanctioned title fight is being organised by Hall of Fame Boxing & Promotions (HOF), based out of Canton, Ohio, US. According to HOF representative Jay Msangi, this is the first time the company is staging professional boxing matches outside the US. HOF is also working in collaboration with the Tanzania Professional Boxing Association (TPBA) to organise the ‘Title Night in Tanzania’.
“There will be a lot of excitement and energy in the crowd because we’re showcasing well known fighters from Tanzania in Cheka,” said Msangi. “Then we have a tough journeyman in Williams from the US who want his shot at the super middleweight world title against Cheka.
“On top of that, we are showcasing several more top-ranked Tanzania boxers in the undercards. “We are anticipating a full house at the Diamond Jubilee Hall plus live television coverage across the region and the continent.”
The evening begins with a scheduled four-round bout featuring Ibrahimu Class, the number two ranked light welterweight in the country versus up-and-coming Tanzanian lightweight Hamis Shomari.
Class is 6-1 and has won his last six fights while Shomari won his first professional fight early this year against Mahinya Ramadhan. The latter had no lost in eight previous fights before facing Shomari.
At ringside will be two-time defending world heavyweight champion Francois Botha The ‘Title Night in Tanzania’ is a prelude to a larger event scheduled for April next year in Tanzania billed as ‘Knockout Malaria’.
HOF is working with top-ranking officials of the Tanzanian government to hold a day-long event at the National Stadium to raise funds to help fight malaria, one of Africa’s deadliest diseases.
‘Knockout Malaria will have afar-reaching benefits beyond raising money for malaria research and prevention,” observed Msangi. “We expect this event to attract more tourists to Tanzania, bring this part of Africa in the international spotlight and allow Tanzanian citizens to take pride in their community and even volunteer their God-given skills to help produce this incredible daylong affair.”
Source Tanzania Daily News
