Bulawayo Bomber ready for Japan bill

Ricky Zililo @ZililoR
BULAWAYO-born South Africa-based cage fighter Elvis Moyo will this evening trade leather with Japanese’s mixed martial arts veteran Kiyoshi Tamura in Tokyo in his first overseas fight.

Moyo arrived in Japan yesterday morning. The Zimbabwean fighter is eager to impress and said he had prepared adequately for the fight.

Tonight’s fight is part of Moyo’s build-up to his heavyweight title bout against Extreme Fighting Championship Africa (EFC) champion Danie van Heerden later this year.

Moyo will fight van Heerden in a bill dubbed “The biggest stand-up battle in EFC history” on October 15 at Sun City in Rustenburg in South Africa’s North West province.

Speaking from Japan yesterday, Moyo, whose ring name is “The Bulawayo Bomber”, said he was ready to break new ground in Japan.

“I’m taking to the ring tomorrow night and I’m ready. I want to leave a lasting impression with a solid performance which could open more opportunities. I’m really excited about the opportunity to showcase my talent in this part of the world. My only worry is that I didn’t get time to acclimatise but I’ll give my best,” said Moyo.

“I’ve been clamouring for fights and this is a chance for me to prove that I’m an international fighter and not just a potential EFC Africa champion. I know little about my Japanese opponent who is a top wrestler,” he said.

Tonight’s bill will be more of a boxer versus a wrestler, similar to that of Ali versus Inoki in the 1970s.

The late boxing great Muhammad Ali fought against professional wrestler Antonio Inoki in 1976 in a bout that inspired the launch of mixed martial arts. It was the first time a boxer had taken on a martial artist and although the bout was scored a draw, Ali suffered damage to his legs.

Moyo will use proceeds from his Japanese fight to fund his training programme for the title fight against van Heerden.

The fight is coming at a time when Moyo’s confidence is high after his win against Congolese cage fighter Ricky Misholas, whom he knocked out in a non-title bout in Sun City last month.