Nothing seems to faze welterweight contender Paul Kamanga.
Told that he was fighting Russian hard man Roman Belaev in March, he was nonplussed.
“I’m very excited. He’s a lively, strong sort of guy and keeps coming, but I like that. He’s one dimensional, I’ll pick him off. I saw him fight in Monte Carlo, where he was very good, and I saw him against Ali Funeka. These are the sort of fights I want.”
The year reckons to be a vital one for Kamanga. If he comes through Belaev unscathed, he will fight a month later, in April, in the US.
Hekkie Budler, meanwhile, will be engaging in his 14th world championship bout against Byron Rojas – but his first as Super champion after his elevation this week.
No-one was more pleased than his trainer Colin Nathan. “It’s a great honour and underlines just how special a fighter Hekkie is.”
Nathan has already dipped into the fight tapes and rates the Nicaraguan as “capable and classy”.
He acknowledged that while Budler won his last defence against Simphiwe Khonco, there were weaknesses he would iron out.
“He wasn’t moving his head in the first six rounds and he took too many shots. But we’re gonna fix that. Hekkie is back at home and Super champion. He’s gonna put on a show.”
