Lovemore Ndou Back in Business!
By Tony Nobbs
01.12 - Lovemore "The Panther" Ndou ended a horror month on a winning note on Friday night when he captured the Vacant IBF Pan Pacific 140 lb Belt on Friday night with a knockout win at 49 seconds of the fourth round over Thailand's Saknurin Twins Gym at Melbourne Festival Hall. It was an impressive performance Ndou (32-5-1, 20KO) who dictated terms in front of 1500 fans from the beginning using a solid mixture of head and body shots and fighting out of a southpaw stance during the fight. Head shots ended the fight but the visitor (15-8, 7KO) was down in round three from a body assault.
"It was a good win for me, a good fight. He was tough, had a hard head but I hurt him to the body. I also turned southpaw and he did not expect it, he couldn't figure me out. This Title will give me an IBF rating and proved I can be a force at Super Lightweight. I was much stronger than before. Kostya Tszyu won't be around forever, he holds all the belts, hopefully he will give one of them up and I can get into position to fight for the World Title. The division is very competitive, a lot of big money fights. Guys like Sharmba Mitchell, Zab Judah, Ben Tackie. And also Arturo Gatti and Mickey Ward who I can fight" said the 31 year old father of three who has recently endured a frustrating points loss in the U.S on November 3, an injury to his manager Stuart Duncan after an argument over a cab following Holiday-Kinuthia on November 7 and a car accident involving himself and daughter Maxine last weekend. Ndou also follwed up on a claim by Duncan he has signed to fight unbeaten Muhummad Abdullaev on the Tszyu-Leija bill in Melbourne on Sunday January 19 (Aust.time).
"I definitely have signed a contract for the fight. But the promoters are saying that Phillip Holiday is fighting Abdullaev. We will be speaking to the Goosen's on Tuesday to find out what has happened. Anyway, I will keep fighting and defending my Title in Australia, beginning in Febuary against Dindo Castenares from the Philippines on a Stuart Duncan promotion in Melbourne".
Undercard results, Julian Holland (29-3-1, 19 KO) KO6 Zulfikar "Joy" Ali (11-4-6, 8 KO), Super Welter. Pierre Karam(16-1-1 ,5 KO) W 8 UD Jeff Tupu (5-7-1, 5 KO) Light Heavy. Chris Hamilton W6 UD Mike Cope, Middle. Brad Hemming KO4 Brando DiNeiro, Welter
