MBABANE – Ayanda Nkosi has set himself the target of fighting in the global scene in the next two years with the aim of being a world champion.
The WBA Pan African featherweight champion retained his title at Royal Swazi Spa Convention Centre here on Friday night with a technical knockout win over Kenyan challenger Michael Odhiambo at the Fox Sport’s Africa Boxing event.
The experienced Kenyan came into this contest confident against an upcoming boxer who was fighting in his ninth bout while Odhiambo has over 20 fights.
But Nkosi made his challenger look like the inexperienced one with a TKO just before the start of the sixth round. Odhiambo threw in the towel after Nkosi broke his nose.
“I expected a tough fight and it was tough,” Nkosi said.
“But I was able to make it simple because the person I was fighting against was tough and powerful. I managed to control the fight by using my long reach so that the fight is simple since he is shot and powerful.
“The jabs that I threw at him pushed him off and didn’t allow him the opportunity to get close to me. I knew that I would knock him out but I didn’t think that it would end on the fifth round.”
This win is another feather on Nkosi’s cap in what is a promising career.
Last year he was nominated for the Prospect of the Year award in Boxing South Africa’s awards ceremony.
Nkosi lost that gong to Lunga Sitemele in a tight call. But he took the loss on the chin as it brought him closer to a fighter he would like to follow in his footsteps – Zolani Tete who is the country’s only holder of a major world title in the form of the WBO Bantamweight belt.
“I want to be a world champion and fight on the international scene,” Nkosi said. “I am on my way of achieving that because I am now fighting on the continent.
“Fighting internationally is the bigger picture. I am very close to achieving that. I have set myself the target of at least fighting there in the next two years.
“Being nominated as the Prospect of the Year showed that I am now recognised as a lightweight because I am new to the division after moving from featherweight. That nomination is motivation to work even harder now that my work is being recognised.”
* Njabulo Ngidi is in Swaziland courtesy of Fox Sports.