Tito

By chris silvester (Jan 29, 2009)

Johannes Mwetupunga, known to friends and fans as Tito, arrived in Melbourne for the 2006 Commonwealth Games to represent his native country, Namibia.

Whilst Tito was in Melbourne, chasing his gold medal dreams, Tito met the love of his life, Anthea. It would change his life. The couple is currently waiting the delivery of the first-born child.

During the Commonwealth Games on the 17th of March 2006, Tito was slotted to face Nigeria’s Olufemi Ajayi in the welterweight 69kg category. Tito lost, but to his credit, Olufemi carried on to winning the Bronze medal.

Tito, with a decorated amateur background; having won, not only national honors but international bouts as well, decided to turn professional almost 12 months to the day following his unfortunate Commonwealth Games defeat.

On the 3rd of March 2007, Tito made his professional debut, fighting  South Africa’s Kobus Motlhoding at the Sam Nujoma Stadium in Namibia. Tito conclusively took the win in a unanimous decision.

Most times it is promoters or managers who spur their fighters on, but Tito had someone more passionate in his corner - his wife, Anthea.

She was the one who finally convinced Blackburn’s Murray Thompson to take a chance on the rangy middleweight.

Tito decided to fly to Melbourne and take the next step under Thompsons Fighters Factory banner. But there would be no easy start for the experienced African. He was soon matched to fight tough-nut Jeremy Allan over six rounds.

Allan was reigning WBF Australasian Middleweight champion and had won the right to be called so after a hard earned stoppage over Chris Collard 13 month’s prior.

On the 2nd of May 2008 Tito showed not only Melbourne who Johannes Mwetupunga is, but also Australia, with a dominant unanimous decision victory.

Two wins out of two and Tito’s professional career was off to a flying start.

Two months later Tito was to face his toughest opponent to date; William ’Hardcore’Hadlow. Hadlow is well known for fighting anyone and everyone and for this reason has a record that does not show his true ability. Hadlow, who regularly fights in his hometown in Queensland, is unlucky to see a win on many occasions. But at ’Fort Knox’(Knox Netball Centre) the best comes out of him, such as his surprise win in his rematch over hard-hitting Clinton Johnson and his unlucky draw to Pradeep Singh (Many fans present thought Hadlow had done more than enough to take the points that night).

On the 11th of July 2008 the best of William Hadlow was on again at Knox and he gave Tito his hardest professional challenge. The fight was non-stop action packed and was close from the start. Before the decision was made by the ring announcer the crowd knew that, although there was to be only one winner, there wasn’t going to be a loser.

The fight could have either way but William Hadlow was given the nod with a majority decision victory.

Tito had no choice but to go back to the drawing board and look at all the options available. And there were not many.

With very few elite professional boxers in Australia many fighters have no choice but move up and down weight divisions just to get a fight.

With no other options available Tito had no choice but to move up from middleweight division to the super-middleweight division and face the Victorian Champion ’Cool Hands’ Luke Moloney.

On the 22nd of August 2008 the fight took place with the Vacant WBF Australasian Super Middleweight title up for grabs.

It was another hard fight for Tito and his supporters ended cheering - believing their man had won. But some of the judges thought otherwise and Moloney’s hand was raised on a split decision victory.

Fighting is about training, skill, guts and power. But sometimes you need something else - a little bit of luck. And if Tito was just touch more fortunate his record would have been 4-nil rather that 2-2.

Tito’s next task to was to take on New Zealand’s Steve Anderson. Again he had no choice but to campaign at super middleweight, with no opponents in his preferred middleweight division.

This time he left no doubt - almost certainly winning every round winning a unanimous decision.

Tito’s next opponent is yet to be announced but he will be fit and firing will be on the undercard of Oyewale Omotoso VS Roberto Valenzuela fight on the 27th of February. The good judges at Fighters Factory say we have yet to see the best of the superfit import from Namibia.

Luke Moloney will also feature on the undercard and will be facing Tito’s former opponent Steve Anderson.