Boxing Preview: Ali Nuumbembe vs. Joshua Okine

Silent Assassin Can Pick Off Another Target

Ali Nuumbembe calls himself “The Silent Assassin” and there are many around the fight beat who have a hunch that the Derbyshire-based Namibian could be a significant player in the lively welterweight division. Ali gets his chance to make a big statement of intent on Sunday, February 12 when he clashes with the tough Ghanaian Joshua Okine in an eliminator for the Commonwealth title on a shared Steve Woods/Maloney Promotions bill at the GH Carnall Leisure Centre in Manchester.

The formidable names of Antonio Margarito, Carlos Baldomir, Zab Judah, Cory Spinks and the fading but still capable Shane Mosley currently dominate the world scene, but the competition is no less intense and intriguing at Commonwealth level. Nuumbembe is one of a tight group of fighters currently vying for supremacy in the company of Okine, Kevin Anderson and David Barnes, and the cards would appear to be falling nicely for the Assassin.

He announced his arrival in April last year when he held Manchester’s Barnes to a controversial draw for the WBO Inter-Continental title, a fight that many believed Nuumbembe won. Highly respected official Dave Parris tabbed Ali a 115-114 winner that night.

As Ali bounced back from that disappointment to continue his steady progress, so he also benefited from a rapid-fire changing of the guard as Okine deprived Barnes of his Commonwealth title on a twelfth round stoppage and promptly lost it on a split decision to Kevin Anderson. By simply staying busy and taking care of business, Nuumbembe found himself right back in the picture.

The Assassin’s intriguing matchup with Okine is therefore a logical step for both men in what is likely to be a tough distance fight of tenacity and endurance. Okine has proved his credentials as a tough customer who is not deterred by setbacks. Twenty-five year old Joshua had a baptism of fire in his pro debut in 2000, when he was stopped in four rounds by Ayittey Powers in Accra, but has since compiled a respectable 16-3-1 log with ten of his wins coming inside schedule.

Okine’s loss to the talented Kevin Anderson did no great harm to his prospects, and there was no certainly no disgrace in losing to that wily danger man Ossie Duran, who so memorably went on to knock out Jamie Moore in three rounds. Joshua is known in the trade as a very capable ringman and a respectable puncher, but one wonders if he has more or less reached his natural level.

Twenty seven year old Nuumembe, by contrast, is very much in the ascendancy, having added notable power to his range of skills in recent fights. Ali says he has been working hard on this aspect of his game and the attention to detail has certainly reaped dividends in his last few outings. His most recent performance, a fourth round count-out of that eternal old pro Ernie Smith, certainly jumps off the page.

Nobody else has managed that feat over the Stourport Gypsy Boy in his 111 fights. Previous stoppages of Gavin Down and Dmitry Yanushevich had served as warnings that Ali had stepped on the gas and significantly improved his punching ability. His career knockout total of six on his 14-1-1 slate is likely to rise as he continues to improve his technique and gain confidence. He was a commanding though not spectacular hitter in the amateurs, posting 63 wins inside schedule from his 144 wins in 155 bouts.

The one blot on Nuumbembe’s record remains a sensitive issue. Traveling back to his native Namibia in 2004, he finished on the wrong end of a points decision to Bethuel Oshona in their contest for the vacant national title, but the verdict was hugely controversial and generated a lot of bad feeling. Ali’s progress in the short space of time since that unlucky reverse has been all too evident under trainer Bob Shannon and manager Steve Wood.

Nuumembe cannot afford to get careless or become ragged in his work against Okine, as a tough night seems assured. But with due care and diligence, the Silent Assassin can pick off another victim, probably by way of a hard fought decision.