Ambunda – What legends are made of
Retirement is treating boxer well
Retired boxer Paulus Ambunda says he misses the ring, but he is enjoying life since hanging up his gloves last year.
Paulus Ambunda says since retiring from boxing he focuses on his family, work and watching other boxers compete.
The 41-year-old Ambunda, known as ‘The Rock’ and 'El Jesus’ in boxing circles, made his professional debut on 30 June 2007 against Johannes Gabriel.
He says his age caught up with him and he had to make the decision to step down from the sport he loves.
“Age caught up with me. I’m not growing any younger. But I miss the ring and panel-beating my opponents,” he said chuckling.
He shared with Namibian Sun Sports Desk that his best moment in boxing was when he won his first world title: the WBO World Bantamweight belt in 2013.
"I always wanted to be a world champion since day one. God really has been with me and I achieved that title.
“It wasn’t easy to reach that level. It takes commitment to be a champion; you need to be disciplined. Without discipline you won’t get anywhere,” he added.
He further spoke about the most difficult fight of his career, saying that South Africa’s Bongani Mahlangu gave him a run for his money when he defended his WBO Africa Bantamweight title.
Ambunda added that many boxers want to reach the top level but that it requires a lot of sacrifice, and that he takes his hat off to promoter Nestor Tobias, who contributed to his success.
“He took time to take me to the gym, train, encourage and motivate me. It was amazing to have him in my corner until we captured the world title."
If he could turn back the clock, Ambunda said he would go back in time and capture all the titles in his weight categories.
However, the future is the only path he has left and his dream is to work towards becoming a referee judge and to train his son to be the next big boxing star.
A soldier in the Namibian army, Ambunda advised upcoming boxers to pump effort into their careers and to stay disciplined.
Ambunda had 30 professional career fights, 27 wins and three losses. His last fight, which he lost by unanimous decision, was on 11 May 2019 against America’s Stephen Fulton.
The 41-year-old Ambunda, known as ‘The Rock’ and 'El Jesus’ in boxing circles, made his professional debut on 30 June 2007 against Johannes Gabriel.
He says his age caught up with him and he had to make the decision to step down from the sport he loves.
“Age caught up with me. I’m not growing any younger. But I miss the ring and panel-beating my opponents,” he said chuckling.
He shared with Namibian Sun Sports Desk that his best moment in boxing was when he won his first world title: the WBO World Bantamweight belt in 2013.
"I always wanted to be a world champion since day one. God really has been with me and I achieved that title.
“It wasn’t easy to reach that level. It takes commitment to be a champion; you need to be disciplined. Without discipline you won’t get anywhere,” he added.
He further spoke about the most difficult fight of his career, saying that South Africa’s Bongani Mahlangu gave him a run for his money when he defended his WBO Africa Bantamweight title.
Ambunda added that many boxers want to reach the top level but that it requires a lot of sacrifice, and that he takes his hat off to promoter Nestor Tobias, who contributed to his success.
“He took time to take me to the gym, train, encourage and motivate me. It was amazing to have him in my corner until we captured the world title."
If he could turn back the clock, Ambunda said he would go back in time and capture all the titles in his weight categories.
However, the future is the only path he has left and his dream is to work towards becoming a referee judge and to train his son to be the next big boxing star.
A soldier in the Namibian army, Ambunda advised upcoming boxers to pump effort into their careers and to stay disciplined.
Ambunda had 30 professional career fights, 27 wins and three losses. His last fight, which he lost by unanimous decision, was on 11 May 2019 against America’s Stephen Fulton.
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