Bukom Banku and Water Boys party for Joshua Clottey
Ebenezer Lantei Lamptey has the chance to claim another international title when he fights for the WBO Africa Welterweight title this Saturday at the Omuthiya Park, Oshikoto, Namibia against incumbent champion Bethuel Ushona.
Lamptey previously held the Light Welterweight version of the WBO Africa title when he defeated Ecuadorian Eduardo Flores in February 2012 but lost a bid for the WBA Pan Africa Light Welterweight belt in Australia in June last year.
But after two straight victories back in Ghana, 28 year old Lamptey (24-2, 19 KOs) gets the opportunity to put himself back up the rankings in search of a shot at the world title he so craves with victory against Ushona.
The Namibian won’t come easy though fighting in front of his own fans come Saturday night. The 32 year old Ushona (31-2-1, 8 KOs) is a former Namibia, WBA Pan-Africa and Interim WBO Africa Welterweight champion whose two career defeats came in a bid for the Commonwealth title in the UK in 2011 and for the WBO Intercontinental championship in Slovenia a year later.
He first won the WBO Africa Welterweight title by beating Lamptey’s compatriot Emmanuel Clottey in March 2013 and has since defended it successfully twice.
But Lamptey is not overawed and was speaking tough just before he departed the Kotoka International Airport on Monday night.
“I have trained very well for this fight, I am in good shape and I believe I can stand up to everything he throws at me. I am promising Ghanaians I will knock him out by round 9 to bring back the WBO title,” he said.
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