DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA’S Nasibu Ramadhani, Said Mkola and Charles Tondo both faced setbacks in their respective boxing bouts this weekend, with both fighters unable to secure victories in their challenges held at different international venues.
Ramadhani fought for the prestigious World Boxing Association (WBA) Asia belt but was narrowly defeated by Russia’s Ivan Chirkov in a hard-fought ten-round super featherweight contest at the RCC Boxing Academy in Ekaterinburg, Russia.
On the other hand, Mkola suffered a Technical Knockout (TKO) defeat to Elnur Samedov in the lightweight category at the same venue and Tondo lost to Lennon Mulligan of Scotland by TKO.
Ramadhani’s bout was a closely contested match, with the Tanzanian boxer displaying a solid defence throughout the fight.
He showed his resilience by maintaining a tight guard and landing several counterattacks.
However, Chirkov’s relentless pressure and consistent attacks were enough to sway the judges’ decision in his favour.
Despite Ramadhani’s best efforts to turn the tide, all three judges scored the bout in favour of Chirkov, giving the Russian boxer the victory by points.
Ramadhani, who had hoped to claim the WBA Asia belt, left the ring with a hard-fought defeat, but his performance was commendable considering the pressure he was under throughout the match.
ALSO READ: Tanzanian boxer Changalawe loses to Norwegian fighter
For Said Mkola’s contest took a dramatic turn in the sixth round when he was knocked to the canvas by Samedov after enduring a barrage of punches.
The referee immediately stopped the action as medical personnel rushed to assess Mkola’s condition.
After a brief examination, it was determined that Mkola was unfit to continue and the referee awarded the fight to Samedov via Technical Knockout.
Mkola, who had been performing well until that point, was left disappointed by the abrupt end to his bout.
In another international fight over the weekend, Tanzania’s Charles Tondo also faced disappointment in his pursuit of the Commonwealth Youth Championship title.
Tondo squared off against Lennon Mulligan at the Crowne Plaza in Glasgow, Scotland, but his challenge ended in a TKO loss.
Tondo, like Ramadhani and Mkola, faced a tough opponent who was able to overcome him and claim victory in the ring.
