Ghana’s Obodai Sai will face off with Namibian Walter Kautondokwa in the WBO Middleweight World Title Eliminator at the Bukom Arena in Accra tonight.
The bout would serve as a breakthrough for the Ghanaian as he would be launching his world title bid after winning the bout against his tough opponent.
It promises to be an electrifying night of boxing as both boxers have so much at stake in the bout dubbed “Xplosive Night Fight,”by Lions Promotions.
Most importantly, Obodai Sai, who would be hoping to lift high the flag of the country would have a very huge cause for concern considering the pedigree of his opponent. There are five reasons why Sai should not take his opponent for granted.
1. Height Advantage: Kautondokwa is taller than his opponent with a height of 5 ft 7 as against his Ghanaian opponent who stands at 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m). In boxing, height could play an integral role in winning a bout if the boxer can use it to his advantage. The Namibian could land punches from a distance and prevent his opponent for getting close to him considering his height. That could be frustrating for Sai who loves to get close to his opponent and take him on. Sai must do everything possible to get close to the opponent and ‘punish’ him if he desires a clean win.
2. Unbeaten Run to Protect: Walter Kautondokwa has 14 bouts without a defeat to his credit with 13 straight knockouts coming into the bout. He would be protecting that feat with his last breath as he comes against Sai in tonight’s bout. Nicknamed the Executioner, Kautondokwa has pledged to live the country with his unbeaten run intact. Meaning he would be hoping to get another knockout to his name to continue his impressive run. That presents Sai a herculean task as he attempts to be the first man to beat the Namibian. Clearly it would be a difficult task for the boxer and he must grind the results by the skin of his teeth.
3. Ranked Higher than Sai: Walter Kautondokwa is ranked eight in the world while Sai is ranked 13th. A win for the Executioner would set him close to one of the top four boxers in that middleweight division and vie for a world title challenge. Sai on the other hand could jump to the eight position if he gets a win against Kautondokwa and also be in the position to contest for a world title. However the highly rated Namibian would not want to slip in the ranking as his ultimate desire is to get better as far as the world rankings are concerned.
4. Consistent and active: With 13 straight knockouts to his credit, Kautondokwa has enjoyed a very consistent career and very active within the past years. But Sai went on the sidelines for sometime before getting back into active boxing recently courtesy Lions Promotions. Sai would therefore be relying heavily on his past exploits going into the bout while his opponent is going into the bout with an incredible form in recent times while could work some magic for him.
5. Finally, his confidence ahead of the bout is really scary. Speaking after the weigh in in Accra on Thursday, the Namibian said, “he is going in for nothing but a win.” He appeared very serious for bout and did not mince words when he threatened to beat Sai in the eyes on several Ghanaians that would troop to the venue tonight to support their boxer. He also appeared more focused on the bout as compered to his opponent.
That notwithstanding, both boxers have trained very well for the bout and looking forward to a win. Ghanaians would be at the venue to support Sai, hoping he would begin his world title ambition on a very bright note.
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