Nandex sets up big show

FORMER SP PNG Hunters prop Timothy Lomai and Pakistani refugee Ezatullah Kakar are just two of the names set to step into the kickboxing ring on May 4 for Stanley Nandex’s PNG v The World show.
Headlining the show will be Townsville-based Papua New Guinean Derek Webber who will fight Australian middleweight champion Phil Hedges at the Sir John Guise Indoor Complex, in Port Moresby.
Lomai, pictured, a former rugby league player, was with the SP PNG Hunters from 2014 to 2016 as well as representing PNG in a test, returns to the ring after last fighting in 2008.
Kakar, an asylum seeker who was based at the detention centre on Manus, made his professional boxing debut in December when he was stopped in nine rounds by John Korake in their Indo-Pacific Boxing Association cruiserweight title bout.
Lomai is set to fight Australian Leon Fuller in a heavyweight clash while Kakar will take on local Tiamani in a light heavyweight match-up.
Jeffrey Daka faces off against Aussie Ben Burrage in a welterweight bout.
The rest of the card features a who’s who of the local kickboxing community in PNG including Muay Thai champion Lee Henry Garap, Thailand-based Jonathan Tuhu national welterweight kickboxing champion Rickson Yamo, Jeffrey Daka, Laurie Hanku, Mark Sondo, Solomon Tiamani and veteran John Kwiwa.
Webber, who holds the IFKF (International Federation Kickboxing Foundation) B class Australian and Queensland welterweight (66.5kg) titles, said it was one of his dreams to be fighting in the country of his birth in a show that would feature other notable local fighters.
The 39-year-old Webber, who owns the North Coast Combat Gym, said the fight against Hedges had initially been scheduled for last year but was postponed until promoter Nandex offered to stage it in Port Moresby.
Nandex said both men were experienced fighters on the Australian and regional scene and had respectable records in the kickboxing world and would put on a good show for fight fans.
Nandex said he had wanted to run the PNG v The World show on April 27 but had to reschedule to May 4 when all the fighters were available.
Nandex said the show would start at 9am on the Saturday (May 4) with women’s and undercard bouts until 1pm.
An eight-man tournament would be from 3pm to 5pm while the main bouts would start at 6pm culminating in the Webber-Hedges showdown.
Nadex said more than 10 international title belts would be fought for including a WKF (World Kickboxing Federation) title fight between Yamo and Ben Reagan.
There will be three levels of competitions: supporting bouts; eight-man tournament; title fights.
Nandex said the winners of the bouts would qualify for the World Cup in
China from May 20-25 and the K-1 Max Grand Prix in Japan at end of the Year.
He added that results would also see fighters earn world rankings.
Nandex said the PNG Kickboxing Federation (PNGKBF) was trying to ensure that local fighters were recognised and ranked internationally.
The show will be sanctioned by the World Kickboxing Federation with president Fritz Exenberger from Austria and his Oceania president Rustam Ali Attai to be in attendance.
Details on the show including ticket prices, bookings and others can be obtained on phone numbers 76892043 or 70658723 and email: [email protected]