The Panther adds another belt to his cabinet
The heavy puncher Patrick ‘The Panther’ Mukala is a new IBO All-Africa middleweight champion after his defeat of Cristiani ‘Warrior of Faith’ Ndombassy.
Blairgowrie-based Patrick ‘The Panther’ Mukala won the vacant International Boxing Organisation (IBO) All-Africa middleweight title fight by a stoppage against Angolan boxer Cristiano ‘Warrior of Faith’ Ndombassy.
Warrior of Faith decided he had enough, failing to come out from his corner at the beginning of the sixth round after being on the receiving end of several blows from the Panther. It was clear from the first bell that the Panther was out to finish the fight early. He was in control, charging forward and landing clean punches.
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Though he won the title, the Panther explained that Warrior of Faith was a tougher opponent than he expected. “I knocked him down in the first round with the jab, but he stood up and continued. He could take my power punches, but I kept going, putting more and more power as the fight went on, until he decided to stop.”
The new champ said that the stoppage was a clever decision, because he was going to put Warrior of Faith to sleep, badly. “I am so proud of myself for adding another title to my collection. This is my third belt, and more to come. My hard work, discipline, and dedication are paying off.”
He added that their plan for the fight was to jab first, to not stand in front of Warrior of Faith for too long, to attack from different angles, and to push him back. “That worked. I was just listening to my corner. I did exactly what they told me to do. I was confident going into this fight. I believed in God, myself, and my team. I got the best team in Africa, I trust them, and I knew we were going to win.”
The victory has set the Panther as number one in all of Africa in the middleweight division, and top 30 in the world ranking. He vowed that, before the end of the year, he would be in the top 20 in the world, to challenge for a world title.
“My manager is busy negotiating a fight in October or November, so we will see what happens, but for now, I’ll continue working hard, put everything in, and stay disciplined and focused.”
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