WALTER 'The Executioner' Kautondokwa is the third-best middleweight fighter globally

WALTER 'The Executioner' Kautondokwa is the third-best middleweight fighter globally, according to the World Boxing Organisation's latest ratings.

The knockout specialist received a much-needed boost ahead of his upcoming WBO Africa title defence after moving up three places to top three.

The WBO monthly ratings for February were released recently, and saw a number of MTC Sunshine Academy boxers on the rise, much to the delight of promoter Nestor Tobias.

“Kautondokwa took a massive jump, and this is because he always fights top opponents. The current world champion Billy Joe Saunders has avoided him, but soon he will have nowhere to run because Kautondokwa will soon become a mandatory opponent with a few more fights. It is, therefore, important that he wins his next fight and remains unbeaten,” Tobias said in a statement on Monday.

Despite a recent controversial loss to Mexican Ray Beltran, veteran pugilist Paulus 'The Hitman' Moses moved into the top 10.

“I am also glad to see 'The Hitman' in the ratings. Usually when an African fighter loses, you lose your top 15 rating, but because of Moses' spectacular performance in a fight that he won in my view, they kept him in the ratings,” said Tobias.

Mike Shonena, who also steps into the ring on 20 March to defend his WBO welterweight title as part of The Legacy Independence boxing bonanza, improved to #14 after debuting on the WBO charts at #15 last month.

Similarly, Jeremiah 'Low Key' Nakathila also has every reason to be happy as he moved up one place to No.5 in the junior lightweight division. The WBO champion is on the 20 March bill.

Meanwhile, Sakaria 'Desert Storm' Lukas remains at No.3 in the featherweight division.

“I am very excited about the new ratings; it shows that we are making very good progress on the international boxing scene. Serious boxing is all about world ratings. If you are not rated, you can never fight for a serious world title,” Tobias stressed.

“Nakathila has been improving his ratings every month, and that is a sign of good things to come for him. He must continue winning, and things will happen sooner rather than later for him.

“Shonena is new on the ratings, and already he jumped up by one spot, which is positive. Sakaria Lukas remains at number three in a competitive division.

“So, all in all, I am happy. It is a good reflection of Namibian boxing, and the plan is to definitely push for another world title for any of these boxers in 2018,” said Tobias.

The Legacy Bonanza takes place at the Ramatex complex in Windhoek. VIP tickets sell for N$500, while general tickets fetch N$50. The night will see a total of 14 fights, with three WBO title defences.