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SAKARIA ‘Desert Storm’ Lukas will bounce back from his “brutal” KO loss to American prospect Raymond Ford, says the veteran Namibian’s trainer, Immanuel ‘AC’ Moses.

Ford dominated the fight before delivering a vicious right hook that put Lukas down and out in the eighth round of their featherweight clash in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday.

“It was war in that ring. Desert Storm came to fight and he did his best. Fighting undefeated young Ford is not easy at the age of Desert Storm, so we are proud of him, and we’ll continue to support him getting back from that loss. It was brutal toe-to-toe boxing, and with that he deserved respect from everybody,” Moses says.

Ford advanced to 13-0-1 (7KOs) with the win, with Lukas down to (25-2-1, 17KOs).

“We’ll be back home, take a break, regroup and get right back to the top. This is boxing and we learn every day. That’s why the sport of boxing is so interesting to watch,” Moses says.

Lukas enjoyed his best moments in round five, landing occasional power shots upstairs, forcing Ford to fight behind a tight defence and to eventually pick up the pace in the ensuing rounds, Boxing Scene reported.

Hurt in round seven, Lukas was docked a point for constantly clinching before Ford ended the contest in the next round.

“The performance was brilliant by Ford, considering the stiff challenge Lukas presented in a 10-round draw with former 2012 Olympic Silver medallist and former title challenger Tugstsogt Nyambayar earlier this year,” Boxing Scene observed.

Moses, the founder of African Connection Fitness and Boxing Academy, lamented the limited investment in the sport back home, leaving Namibian boxers inadequately prepared for elite competition.

“The problem we’re facing is the support from the government and the corporates. They are very picky when it comes to sponsorship,” Moses says.

“But when we’re fighting overseas they’re the ones to criticise fighters when they lose. American boxers are good because they get financial support. Their country puts them in a good position to perform,” he says.

“Namibia has a lot of resources, but our leaders and people in big corporate firms don’t have the love to support our athletes, whether it’s amateur or professional level.

“Look at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games, for example, they only invest in the trips, not in the preparations, and that’s why we don’t get medals. Let’s invest in development,” Moses said.