Nuumbembe dedicates defence to his dad by Mike Bradley Dec 5th 2007

Commonwealth welterweight champion Ali Nuumbembe has broken his silence ahead of his title defence against Oldham's Craig Watson and responded to claims from the challenger's camp they are about to end his reign.   The pair meet on Saturday at Wigan's Robin Park Arena on a huge night of boxing which includes three other title fights.   “Craig Watson believes he has three ways he can beat me but none of them are going to work, I've seen him fighting, watched his footage and have a good plan,” said the man from Glossop via Namibia.   “I've seen him taking some guys out so I'm prepared for that but I've got my skill which I will use to outsmart him, there's no way he's going to beat me.   “I won my title against Kevin Anderson and he was a strong puncher but I out manoeuvred him and will do the same again against Craig Watson. But this will be even more special because this is a fight I want to dedicate to my father who passed away at the beginning of October. It's a big fight for me, it's the first defence of my belt and I'm not prepared to let it go.”   Nuumbembe's trainer Bob Shannon believes the experience his fighter gained in taking the Commonwealth crown from Anderson in Kirkcaldy last February will be the contest's deciding issue.   “It's going to be an interesting fight, Craig is strong, he can throw angles, he's a great puncher but I think it will come down to the biggest factor which is experience and Ali's got that,” said Shannon. “He's done the 12 rounds with Kevin Anderson and matured and that will put him in good stead.   “Craig Watson is a really good fighter, he's exciting, he's got a great punch, he's been in with Amir Khan so he's got a great chance. He's young, ambitious and he's got a good trainer with Joe Pennington who I respect and who will get him in great shape but I'm ready and Ali is in great condition.”   Meanwhile Nuumbembe is already looking ahead to fight at a higher level.   “I am the Commonwealth champion and my goal is to win the world title and for me to be that guy I have to beat these younger guys who are challenging me for the title so there's no room for mistakes,” he added.   THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS

Go back Comment on this article | Send to a friend | Print

There are no comments. Click here to be the first who comment on this article.