Mike Tyson tipped to visit Botswana
Former world heavyweight boxing champion, Mike Tyson, once nicknamed 'The Baddest Man on the Planet', is expected to set foot in Botswana ahead of the much-anticipated World Boxing Federation (WBF) super featherweight title fight slated for Maun in March.
Local professional boxer, Moabi Ngaka, following his exploits at Victory8 boxing and cultural festival in Hanoi, Vietnam, was afforded a chance to compete for a world title by WBF, an event which his camp negotiated to be held on his home soil.
Ngaka is set to square off against the veteran hard-punching, Mark John Yup from Philippines, who has 32 professional fights and has been the champion of the title before.
According to close sources, fast growing boxing entertainment and boxer Management Company based in Vietnam, VSP Boxing Promotions, were left impressed by the local boxer and reached an agreement with the 27-year-
old to collaborate.
As global brand, VSP Boxing Promotions managed to convince former world heavyweight, Tyson, to grace the event billed for Maun on the 30th of March this year, a proposal that the American has reportedly accepted.
“I have been awarded the WBF international title fight, this is an international event, and we want to show people that Professional Boxing has the potential to really play a key role in the economic developments of the country. I asked VSP to get in contact with him Mike Tyson, so that he comes through and support the event and luckily, they [VSP] already have a relationship with Tyson and he has since accepted our proposal,” Ngaka told BG Sport.
As a global boxing brand, Tyson’s visit to promote and support an event in Botswana would normally come at a hefty prize but Ngaka said that the USA international significantly reduced his rates in support of the event.
“He went really low, he normally charges around USD $2 million for this kind of service but this time he went really low, he significantly dropped his rates to the USD $100s, even some people are still shocked. We are expecting him to release teasers at the beginning of next month (February) once we are done settling his payments,” the local pro-boxer shared.
Ngaka said the event will showcase the country’s potential in the sport and added that local boxers will have a chance to compete against some top Vietnamese boxers that VSP Boxing Promotions will bring along with their camp.
The former national team boxer has been hoisting the country’s flag high with his latest fight postponed in South Korea after his opponent got injured ahead of the fight.
He further indicated that, the choice of Maun as the host, was a strategic decision to use the event to promote sport tourism.
“Maun will offer people a chance to see the delta, Tyson will probably not only attend the boxing event, but he will also be afforded a chance to see the delta. You can imagine the social media following he has, celebrities and other high-profile individuals, so it will really be a great opportunity to have him in the country, it will significantly impact, in a positive way, the local tourism and even the African tourism,” he stated.
The talented boxer, who has six (6) professional boxing fights, won four (4), drawn one (1) and lost 1, implored the government and business Botswana to come on board and support the initiative as it will greatly benefit the country in many folds.
“Our budget is around P16 million, it is doable, we can pull this off, VSP are not charging us anything, so we are working really hard to deliver a successful event. So far, we have not secured any sponsor, we are engaging with all interested parties, and it is looking positive, it is promising,” Ngaka revealed.
Other high-profile personalities rumoured to be interested in attending the event are former WBC Flyweight, Super Featherweight and Lightweight champion Manny Pacquiao and renowned television director Connie Ferguson.
Organizers of the event have reportedly submitted invites to the office of the president as they look to further intensify selling the event.
Professional Boxing Association of Botswana (PBAB) has not officially sanctioned the tournament according to close reports, but engagements are ongoing.