POLICE WARY OF KDF CHALLENGE: George 'Foreman' Onyango warns team of test in league

Silas Masake (right) from the Police ABC evades a right punch from Edwin Okong'o (left in red) of KDF in their middle weight category during the Boxing Association of Kenya National Boxing League championship 4th Leg at the Mbaraki Sports Club, November 08, 2015. Okong'o won by points. [PHOTO BY GIDEON MAUNDU/STANDARD].

Kenya Police boxing head coach George ‘Foreman’ Onyango says the race for the National Boxing League title is tough and will go to the wire.

Although the policemen are leading defending champions Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) with three points after the fourth leg of the National Boxing League in Mombasa over the weekend, Onyango said it will be a tall order to defeat the soldiers.

“It will not be easy to beat the soldiers, but we are going back to the drawing board to address our weaknesses that were exposed in Mombasa,” he said.

In Mombasa, the two teams (Police and KDF) shared the top spot with 20 points apiece ahead of Coast Combined,10, Kenya Prisons, five, Kenyatta National Hospital, four, Kibra three, Oscar Academy three, Nyanza Combined two and Central Combined, which did not have a point.

Onyango, who is a former international heavyweight boxer, further admitted that KDF was not an easy team as they had earlier predicted and added that the final leg of the league, which will be at Madison Square Garden in Nakuru from November 26-28, will decide the league winners.

“The soldiers were a hard nut to crack right from the preliminaries, but we plan to upstage them in the final leg in Nakuru.

They were boosted by their new recruits,” said Onyango, who pinpointed Edwin Okong’o (middle) and Isaac Meja (bantam) as some of the KDF boxers who impressed him in the ring.

“I will be out to drill my boys against stiff opposition. This may be KDF or any other opponent in the race for the title. I did not expect such opposition, but we have learnt a few lessons and it is a wake-up call for us,” he told Feverpitch on telephone.

Last week, KDF coach Sammy Magima warned the policemen not to take them for granted in the race for the title.

Magima had said; “We did not win the title on a silver platter because it took us seven years of hard work to do so and we’ll replicate this in our next assignment.”

However, Onyango praised All African Games heavyweight bronze medalist Elly Ajowi and light flyweight Peter Mungai, who easily outclassed their opponents in their respective bouts.

Policeman Ajowi knocked out Vincent Otieno of KDF in the first round, while Mungai whipped Matayo Keya of Kenyatta National Hospital 3-0.

As a result, the policemen are still leading with 83 points ahead of KDF, who have 80 points, Kenya Prisons (23), Coast Combined (23), Kenyatta National Hospital (14), Kentract (nine), Central Combined (eight), Nyanza Combined (five), Nairobi Metropolitan (three), Jericho (three), Kibra (three), Oscar Academy (three) and Nakuru ABC (one point).