By Siseho Sikopo
An aspiring heavy weight boxer Mr. Tobias Munihango is one of the rare Boxing Talents who hails from the Caprivi Region, the Caprivi Vision Sport had a one on one interview with “The Rose of Katima”.
When and Where were you born and raised ?
I was born in Katima Mulilo on 10 July 1983 and I was raised in Ikumwe village by my late Father Mr.Edwin Liswaniso Munihango and my Mother Ms. Margaret Miyano Mutau.
Where did you attend your Schooling and what was your last Grade?
I did my Grade 1 -10 in the village of Ikumwe where I was raised and completed my Grade 11 and 12 at Caprivi Senior Secondary School.
When did you start having interest in boxing and how long have you been in this sport now?
I started having interest in boxing when I was very young and I have been in the sport for ten years now.
Who is your inspiration?
My inspiration is my Uncle Mr. Emil Liswaniso who was a boxer, he encouraged me a lot to do boxing and I used to hear a lot about Great boxers like Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis, so that was a motivation for me to take -up boxing.
What is your greatest and lowest moment in your boxing career?
My greatest moment was when I defeated my Kenyan opponent in last year`s Commonwealth games which was held in India and my lowest is when I lost a game in Okahandja back in 2002.
Who is your trainer and how often do you train ?
I train twice a day, in the morning and when am at work train myself and also train other guys in our gym(Orangemund Boxing Club), when i am in Windhoek i train with NestorTobias and his assistant.
What are you doing beside boxing ?
I am working as a Metturlagy for Namdeb in Orangemund.
Who is your role model and why ?
My role model is Former World Champion Harry Simon because he is the first middle-weight to bring the Championship belt to Africa and the first Namibian to reach the top level in boxing.
What are some of the obstacles you face in your Boxing career?
Getting support from our local people as I am struggling to buy my own training equipment but I am happy these days because people are giving me support, one business man sponsored me with some boxing gloves and another promised with sponsorship. The main challenge is getting support from our people.
You are the Captain of Namibia`s Amateur Boxing team, this seems to be quite a responsibility, what are some of the challenges you face as Team Captain?
On leading the team I don`t have many challenges because the team are my people and we have known each other for a long time but the only barrier I would say is that we are from different backgrounds in terms of tribes and communities so when it comes to knowing each other`s traditions and culture, it takes time but I believe that as a leader you must lead by example.
Are you in good relations with Boxing Promoter Mr. Nestor Tobias?
Yes, me and Nestor are like brothers we are on very good terms and I am very happy with what he is doing and I am telling you that very soon I am going for pro boxing, it is up to me to decide to go to pro, I am a champion and I am leading the heavyweight division and I just want to fight three more games and then I am done then I go to pro boxing in South Africa or with Nestor. We are on very good terms.
Your team qualified for the African Boxing Championships that took place in Cameroon last June but unfortunately your team could not attend due to lack of funds and sponsorship, how was that a blow to your team?
It was a huge knock out for the team…a really big knock out, it was really bad, those games were supposed to be part of our preparations but at the end of the day we didn`t go but we are looking forward to the big games like the All African games and the Olympic qualifiers.
Your advice to the youth or young Namibians who dream of becoming Pro Boxing stars one day?
My brothers and sisters everything doesn`t come free in life, young people have to work hard and put more focus on sport I know it is not easy but if you put more commitment and dedication then you can achieve something in life. To all the young people again, they must stay away from alcohol and drug abuse and they must keep away from the streets by keeping themselves busy with sport (any kind of sport they feel they can do) they must also focus on their education, as it is the key to life.
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