Vikapita “Beast Master” Meroro will get a shot at the WBO light heavyweight title when he faces the current holder Juergen Braehmer of Germany on July 17 at the Sport and Congress Centre in Schwerin, Meckleburg-Vorpommen, Germany.
Nestor Tobias, who is Meroro’s trainer, announced the news on Wednesday.
Braehmer, who has only lost two of his 38 fights, had been scheduled to fight Alejandro Lakatos of Spain on the same date but Lakatos pulled out under unclear circumstances and the chance was given to Meroro.
Meroro, whose record shows that he has won 18 of is 19 fights, was very happy at the chance to fight the current world champion.
“I have been waiting for an opportunity like this for a long time and I am very happy to get a chance to fight for the title,” Meroro said.
“I am very ready for this fight, I have been training hard since my last fight five months ago and I will make the Namibians proud when I bring back the world title,” he added.
Meroro last fought on March 20 when he beat Douglas Otieno of Kenya and won the then vacant WBO Africa light heavyweight title by a technical knock out at the Windhoek Country Club and Resort in Windhoek.
His opponent, Braehmer’s last fight was against Mariano Nicolas Plotinsky from Argentina. He beat Plotinsky by a technical knock out in the fifth round.
Tobias also announced that Paulus “The Rock” Ambunda will defend his WBO Africa bantamweight title against Klaas Mboyane from South Africa on July 24 at the Windhoek Country Club and Resort in Windhoek.
“I have been in the gym everyday since my last fight and I will keep the title in Namibia,” Ambunda said.
Ambunda is unbeaten after 12 fights and his opponent Mboyane has won 12 of his 21 fights and has two draws. The fight is scheduled for 12 rounds.
Mboyane recently lost the South African bantamweight title in his last fight to Gwazela Nkqubela by unanimous decision on April 5.
Wilberforce Shihepo will also fight on the same evening against John Chibuta of Zambia. Shihepo was originally supposed to fight Zimbabwean Tineyi Maridzo for the vacant WBO super middleweight title. Maridzo will instead fight South African Michael Schultz for the title.
“Shihepo will be able to challenge the winner between Schultz and Maridzo for the title later in the year,” Tobias said.
Chibuta has only lost one of his 13 fights so far while Shihepo has won 14 of his 19 fights.
“I am just a little disappointed that I will not be fighting for the title. But I will continue to train like I was training for a title fight,” Shihepo said.
In other fights on the same evening, Tommy Hango will fight against Modecai Donga of Zimbabwe in a welterweight match up. In another bantamweight fight Immanuel Naindjala will face Zimbabwean Alfred Kashiri.
Anthony Jarman will fight fellow Namibian Pohamba Mandume in a junior welterweight fight that will be over four rounds.
Peter Malakia will fight against Zimbabwean Lawrence Moyo in a lightweight fight. There will also be a junior lightweight fight between Gotlieb Ndokosho and Tawanda Chigwida of Zimbabwe.