Kenyan boxers show promise at at Elite World championships

Robert Okaka (in red) and Tunisian Youssef Rafrafi (in blue).[Ben Ahenda Standard]

The performance of the National Boxing Team at this year's Elite World Boxing Championships was above average, thanks to the Ndondi Mashinani Initiative.

The Hit Squad's show at the global championships in Dubai surpassed the performance in the past four decades as a result of the Initiative introduced in 2019.

Boxers showed great resilience winning their matches for a total of five wins as opposed to the past when Kenyan boxers were all subjected to loses in their opening matches.

Bantamweight Shaffi Bakari, featherweight Paul Omondi, lightweight Washington Wandera and light heavyweight Robert Okaka showed great promise at the world event.

Bakari, Omondi and Wandera won their opening matches in the Round of 32 to proceed to the pre-quarter-finals (Round of 16) where they lost while Okaka lost at the quarter-finals to Russia's Bizhamov Dzahambulat.

Okaka admitted the Russian boxer was more experienced than him.

"Dzahambulat was an experienced boxer and I must admit I have learnt great lessons in the fight against him," Okaka told Standard Sports.

Okaka's win qualified him for cash prizes which has really motivated other boxers to the belief that they are equally capable of getting to the same stages in future International assignments.

"Winning and losing is part of the game and these matches give us opportunities to know our strengths and weaknesses in shaping us for our next international assignments," said Bakari who's a one time Africa Zone Three bantamweight silver medallist.

Bakari and Okaka were taking part in the global championships for the second time while Omondi (Paul) and Wandera (Washington) were making their debuts in Dubai.

In his first Dubai match, Wandera defeated Fahad Mulindwa of Uganda on unanimous points' decision in a lightweight (60kg) bout.

Africa light middleweight champion Boniface Mogunde and Africa Games middleweight champion Edwin Okong'o were beaten in their first fights in the Round of 32.

Africa Games middleweight champion Edwin Okong'o was also a causality against Israeli Kapuler Ishchenko on a split points' decision of 4-1 in the Round of 32.

Okong'o was beaten by Kapuler Ishchenko of Israel 4-1 in a match boxing pundits believed the military man gave his best but was overwhelmed owing to experience of the winner.

Other youngsters who showed same brilliance despite losing were flyweight Kelvin Maina and welterweight Wiseman Kavondo.

Maina who boxes for former league champions Kenya Defence Forces lost 5-0 against Sabit Daniyal of Kazakhstani who beat him in the Round of 32.

"These are matches that give us exposure and experience for the next crucial assignments," said Maina