Ndjolonimus robbed in Germany – Tobias

Boxing
Boxing promoter Nestor Tobias has lashed out at the referee who officiated Paulinus Ndjolonimus' fight in Germany on Saturday night.
Jesse Kauraisa
  • 1 Day Ago
MTC Nestor Sunshine Boxing Promotions Nestor Tobias has expressed frustration over the result involving his rising talent Paulinus Ndjolonimus, claiming the Namibian was robbed of his previously unbeaten record in Germany.

The defeat will also cost him his World Boxing Organisation (WBO) African super middleweight title.

Ndjolonimus fought against Germany’s Simon Zachenhuber, losing by a majority decision in an International Boxing Federation international bout.

The judges scored 94-94, 97-91 and 99-92 in favour of the German in what observers allege to be “clear day-light robbery”.

Twitter user Permante commented: “Ndjolonimus was clearly more active and landed several punches that dazed Zachenhuber, but he received two point deductions and unexpectedly lost with scores of 94-94, 97-91, and an astonishing 99-92.”

Fight Ghost, another Twitter user with more than 10 500 followers, posted: “Zachenhuber wins a split decision in Germany. Commentator on DAZN is beside himself. 'THEY ROBBED THIS KID he screams and says I HOPE THE REFEREE IS HAPPY WITH THIS EMBARRASSMENT.”

Tobias said: “Paulinus showcased exceptional skill, delivering impressive head and body shots that had the crowd on their feet for most of the fight.

“Unfortunately, the match took a questionable turn when the referee intervened, issuing warnings against him for alleged low punches.”

The promoter alleges that these rulings and subsequent point deductions not only disrupted the Namibia boxer’s rhythm, but altered the course of the fight.

Tobias claims that the low-blow decisions were made in the opening round, as well as the third round.

“The audacity of the referee’s action played out in real-time, under the scrutiny of live television, earning disapproval even from representatives of the German boxing commission seated at ringside,” Tobias fumed.

He stated that the German boxing commission openly criticised the referee decision on the night.

The promoter reckons Ndjolonimus dominated the 10 rounds, but the German still walked away with a majority decision win, which ignited speculation about the fairness of the referee officiating the bout.

“Had it not been for the referee’s blatant bias, it’s clear that the victory would have belonged to our champion.

“As Paulinus returns to Namibia on Monday, questions linger about the integrity of the sport and the power dynamics that can sway outcomes in high-stakes boxing matches,” Tobias added.

The promoter believes that incidents of such nature underscores a growing concern within the boxing community of referees and the potential for manipulation in the ring.

The defeat for Ndjolonimus proved to be his first professional loss after having won 19 professional fights in his career.

The German fighter has extended his unbeaten run to 28 professional fights following Saturday’s result.

The queries from Tobias are not the first of this nature after he has expressed frustrations over decisions referees and judges make, especially when his boxers fight on foreign soil.

Other Namibian boxing stables have also on many occasions experienced similar treatment when their boxers fight outside Namibia.