One of Africa’s most celebrated boxers and an up-and-coming brawling fighter from the United States of America (USA) will square off to decide the new World Boxing Federation (WBF) super middleweight world champion on August 30 in Tanzania.
Francis Cheka
Francis Cheka, the current IBF Continental Africa champion, is the number one ranked super middleweight in Tanzania. The 5’ 10 1/2” Cheka will take his 28-7 record with 16 KOs into the WBF world title fight against Phil “The Drill” Williams, who hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota, US and has compiled an impressive 12-5 record with 11 KOs.
The 5’ 11” Williams will be fighting his first professional bout outside the US. The scheduled 12-round Checka- Williams WBF super middleweight world title fight is the main event at “Title Night in Tanzania” at the Diamond Jubilee hall in Dar es Salaam.
The card includes four other exciting fights featuring many of Tanzania’s top-ranked boxers looking to dominate in their respective weight classes and move up in the international rankings.
Prior to the main event, another WBF title fight will also be at stake when Mada Maugo (15-9, 11 KOs), rated number three super middleweight in Tanzania, takes on Thomas Mashali (8-1, 5 KOs), rated number one middleweight in Tanzania, for the WBF super middleweight Africa title championship.
The scheduled 12-round Maugo- Mashali bout will be a heated contest because both fighters lost earlier to Cheka this year and want to redeem their honour in the ring. Mashali lost by TKO in 10 rounds to Cheka two months ago while Maugo lost by TKO in seven rounds in 2012.
Both fighters are primed for the bout in front of their hometown fans and want badly to claim the WBF Africa title belt. Recognised as one of the world’s top sanctioning professional boxing organisations, the WBF has crowned champions in 15 different weight divisions in high-profile bouts in the US, Europe, Asia and Africa.
The WBF sanctioned title fights are being organised by Hall of Fame Boxing & Promotions (HOF), based out of Canton, Ohio, US. According to Hall of Fame Boxing Representative Jay Msangi, this will be the first time the company has staged professional boxing matches outside the US.
HOF Boxing is also working in collaboration with the Tanzania Professional Boxing Association (TBDA) to organise “Title Night in Tanzania.” “There will be a lot of excitement and energy in the crowd because we are showcasing three well-known fighters from Tanzania in Cheka, Maugo and Mashali,” says Msangi.
“Then we have a tough journeyman fighter in Williams from the US who wants 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 plus live television coverage across the region and the continent,” said Msangi.
“The Maugo-Mashali fight will be a terrific battle because neither fighter wants to lose, especially since they both lost to Checka. There is some heated blood between them with Maugo proclaiming that he will take out Mashali before the seventh round. So this is going to be a great contest for the local fans.”
Another local fighter, Alphonce Mchumiatumbo, the number one ranked cruiserweight in Tanzania will take his sparkling 9-0 record (8 KOs) against another US fighter in DeAndre “Showtime” McCole in a scheduled 10-round undercard fight.
“Title Night in Tanzania” will also feature a scheduled six-round fight pitting Cosmas Cheka, the number one ranked super featherweight in Tanzania, against Alan Kamote, the number one ranked lightweight in the country. Cheka comes into the bout with an 8-3 record, having won his last three fights. But he will be put to the extreme test against Kamote, who has amassed an impressive 20-6 record with 12 KOs.
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 Hamid Shomari. Class is 6-1 and has won his last six fights while Shomari won his first professional fight earlier this year against Mahinya Ramadhan.
The latter had not lost in eight previous fights before facing Shomari. At ringside to provide television commentary will be two-time defending world heavyweight champion Francois Botha. “Title Night in Tanzania” on August 30th at the Diamond Jubilee is a prelude to a larger event scheduled for April 2014 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 far-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 into the national spotlight and allow the Tanzanian citizenry to take pride in their community and even volunteer their God-given skills to help produce this incredible day-long affair.”
Source Tanzania Daily News
