IT’S a long way from Thailand, where he had his last fight, and even further from his country of birth, Tanzania.

But Omari Kimweri is excited to be Bendigo bound for next month’s professional boxing showcase at the Bendigo Exhibition Centre.

The 35-year-old will challenge Indonesian fighter Rachmat Santoso on March 17 on a bill laden with international fighters, including former WBO world bantamweight champion Marlon Tapales.

It will be Kimweri’s first bout since unsuccessfully challenging for the WBC world minimum-weight title in Rayong, Thailand, last June.

His long-time trainer David Hegarty said the Thai experience had been nothing short of gruelling for Kimweri.

“To spend five weeks in training camp in Bangkok and then go to Rayong, fighting outside and 40 minutes before the fight you are standing doing a ceremony in blistering heat, it was brutal on the young man,” he said.

“The (first) four weeks none of us got sick and then the night of the weigh-in we all got so sick.

 “That and the fight took a lot out of him, but it was just a great experience for the whole team and we would do it again tomorrow.”

Kimweri, dubbed ‘Lion Boy’, represented Tanzania in the 2006 Commonwealth Games, but has been based in Australia ever since.

His loss in Thailand was only the fourth in his 11-year career as a professional spanning 20 bouts.

Hegarty said he could not have been prouder of Kimweri’s effort in Rayong, against an opponent Chayaphon Moonsri, who entered the fight with a 45-0 record and has since advanced to 49-0.

“It was a fair decision, Omari fought his heart out for 12 rounds,” he said.

“I felt he won four of the 12 rounds and showed just what a warrior and a legend he is.

“This will likely be his last year. We will see how he goes up in Bendigo and I’ll be monitoring him a lot.

“If I see signs that it’s not there anymore, he will hang up the gloves immediately.

“But if we think he’s up for a crack at another world title, we will try and get that by year’s end.”

With fighters from his Tarneit Boxing Gym and the California Gully-based Vinton Street Gym run by brothers Pat and Gary Connolly, which is promoting the event, often choosing to train alongside each other, Hegarty said he was eager for Kimweri and himself to be involved in Bendigo.

“(The Connollys) are good people, they’ve always done good by us,” he said.

“I’m super excited to be involved.

“There are five or six shows on around Australia that night and I don’t think there is anything as big as this one in Bendigo.

“They’ve got Marlon Tapales on the bill – this guy is a superstar.

“And obviously (Filipino) Neil John Tabanao is gearing up for as world title fight and Omari coming off a WBC world title fight. It’s an impressive line-up.”

Also featured will be the Bendigo trio of Matt Hall, Brad Morgan and Dino Rafaeles, who are collectively undefeated in 19 fights.

Tickets for March 17 at the Bendigo Exhibition Centre are available for purchase at The Capital box office, GoTix.com.au or 5434 6100.