Cheka, Matumla revive boxing rivalry

25Mar 2016
Japheth Kazenga
Sport
The Guardian
Cheka, Matumla revive boxing rivalry

MOROGORO professional boxer, Cosmas Cheka, is confident that nothing will stand on the way of his plan to win the Universal Boxing Organisation (UBO) Inter-Continental Super Featherweight title when he faces Mohamed Matumla of Dar es Salaam at the National Indoor Stadium on Sunday.

Cosmas Cheka

Dar es Salaam-based boxing promoter, Kaike Siraju, has organised the bout.

“I have prepared well for the bout and I’m now eagerly waiting for it. I request my fans in Dar es Salaam and other parts of the country to attend the bout in big numbers,” he said.

“The intensive preparations I have had assure me of winning convincingly. I had earlier prepared adequately for an international title fight outside the country and I went on to win in…I will certainly not fail to do the same here,” Cheka added.

Cheka won the interim World Boxing Organisation (WBO) Asia Pacific Featherweight title with a Technical Knockout (TKO) of Thailand’s Thewa Onesongchaigym at the latter’s venue on October 2 last year.

“Professional boxing is my job and I’m ready for the bout. My opponent (Matumla) knows me very well and I have no doubt that I will overcome him,” Cheka insisted.

Cheka’s attempt to maintain his success in high profile bouts outside the country ended in vain as he lost to Vyacheslav Gusev of Russia in the International Boxing Federation (IBF) International Super Featherweight title bout held in Moscow on December 19 last year.

It was the second victory for Gusev against a Tanzanian opponent in a space of three months.
Gusev had earlier recorded a TKO of Tanzania’s Francis Miyeyusho in an international non-title bout at the former’s venue, Arena Kemerovo, on September 11.

Cheka will confront Matumla off a unanimous decision win over fellow Tanzanian boxer, Mustafa Dotto, in a non-title bout in Dar es Salaam staged at the Leaders Club on February 27 this year.

The win saw Cheka improve his record to 16 victories (two knockouts), five losses and four draws, with Dotto’s record dropping to 14 wins (seven knockouts), 11 losses (one knockout) and three draws.

Cheka is currently rated first out of 58 boxers in the Super Lightweight division in Tanzania by Boxrec. The network has positioned him 169th in the list of 1,662 boxers in the division in the world.

The Sunday’s bout against Matumla will also be an opportunity for Cheka to revenge for his defeat to the former in a previous bout between the two in 2012.

The non-title bout, held at the Jamhuri Stadium in Morogoro, ended with Matumla claiming a unanimous decision win.

Cheka's defeat to a domestic opponent in the former's recent fights came at the hands of Dar es Salaam's Ibrahim Mgendera in the UBO Africa Lightweight title bout at the National Indoor Stadium on February 28 last year.

Several bouts involving Dar es Salaam and Morogoro boxers will precede the Cheka versus Matumla bout, in which one of them will see Francis Miyeyusho face Nassib Ramadhan.

In other bouts, Mada Maugo will fight Abdallah Pazi, Mgendera will face Deo Samwel and Pius Kazaula will take on Seba Temba.

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