Kenyan boxers' road to Rio starts tomorrow

The road to this year’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics for Kenyan boxers starts today when teams arrive for the national trials that begin tomorrow in Mombasa.

Selection of Team Kenya to the African qualifiers in Yaoundé, Cameroon from March 9, will be a closely fought affair, with boxers challenging for the coveted slots.

According to the Boxing Association of Kenya (BAK) President John Kameta, the three-day event will be at the Modern Fitness Boxing Lounge in Nyali, Mombasa, where 10 boxers and six sparring partners will be picked for the African Olympic qualifiers.

The President said Rayton Okwiri (welterweight, Prisons), Nickson Abaka (middleweight, KDF) and Benson Gicharu (bantamweight, Police) will not be subjected to the trials as they have been given wild cards to the continental championship.

Only four African boxers have so far qualified for the Olympics. Morocco has two boxers, while Algeria and Egypt have secured a slot each, with the rest of the slots up for grabs during the Yaoundé event.

“Our selection will be purely based on merit and we expect tough competition among the country’s top boxers,” said Kameta.

“Road to Rio has started and we are determined to register upsets in Yaoundé and be part of the African squad,” said Kameta.

National champions Kenya Police, are among favourites in the event that also includes Kenya Prisons and Kenya Police.