admin
Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
BULAWAYO-born South Africa-based cage fighter Elvis Moyo will be leaving for Japan on Monday for a fight with mixed martial arts veteran Kiyoshi Tamura in Tokyo.
The 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.
The fight with van Heerden dubbed “The biggest stand-up battle in EFC history” will be held on October 15 at Sun City in Rustenburg in South Africa’s North West province.
In an interview from his Johannesburg base yesterday, Moyo, whose ring name is “The Bulawayo Bomber”, said he was ready to break new ground in Japan.
“I’m leaving Johannesburg on July 25 for the fight that will be held in Tokyo on July 30. I’m really excited about the opportunity to showcase my talent in that part of the world,” 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, but what I know is that I will fight a top wrestler on July 30. It will be more of a boxer versus a wrestler, similar to that of Ali versus Inoki in the 1970s,” he said.
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 said he had been working hard to shed weight from 118KG to 112KG for October’s title fight.
“I’ve intensified my training because there is a weight clause in the contract that I signed. When we agreed on terms, I was on 118KG and have to be on 112KG for the fight. I’ve lost just over two kilogrammes and I believe I’ll be in shape for the fight,” said Moyo.
He said he would use proceeds from his Japanese fight to fund his training programme for the title fight against van Heerden.
Moyo’s confidence is high ahead of his trip to Tokyo, as he is coming from a morale-boosting win over Congolese cage fighter Ricky Misholas, whom he knocked out in a non-title bout in Sun City last month.
Online Reporter