POLICE BOXERS LOSE: Law enforcers find it tough in national league encounters

Abubakar Okunda of Kenyatta National Hospital (in red) in action with Anthony Kariuki from Coast at the Light weight category during the final leg of the Nation Boxing league at Madison Square in Nakuru on October 20,2016.PHOTO:KIPSANG JOSEPH

National league champions Kenya Police boxers are out of the National Intermediate Championships after three of their boxers were beaten in the quarterfinals yesterday.

The experienced boxers lost to upcoming players in the three-day competition in Ndenderu, Kiambu County.

The trio of Joseph Maina (fly), Eric Njoroge (fly) and Patrick Kamau in the bantamweight found the going tough against the opponents.

Maina was beaten by Brian Agina of Coast Combined on points, Njoroge was stopped by David Karanja of Nairobi while Kamau was dismissed by Isaac Waweru also of Nairobi.

Most of Nairobi County’s team players cruised to the finals in tough semi-final matches ahead of Nairobi Metropolitan, Coast Combined, Kibra and Soweto in a competition that attracted ten clubs.

First to book his ticket to the finals was Omar Karanja in the lightweight (60kg) when he dismissed Hamza Saidi of Coast on points before Boniface Nafula of Dallas saw off Kingsley Nyakundi of Administration Police in the same weight.

Also to march to the finals were Fred Chege of Dallas in the light flyweight and Benson Akhasamba of Nairobi in the welterweight catergory (69kg).

Chege who saw off Moses Kilavuka of Nairobi Metropolitan on points was set to face Nichodemus Kinuthia of Soweto in the finals while Akhasamba had dismissed Robert Ocholla of Nairobi Metropolitan in the semifinal bout.

In another welterweight semifinal match, John Bossy of Ndenderu lost to Sunday Sinzole of Coast.

Players from Kenya Defence Forces and Kenya Prisons missed the competition.

In the middleweight, Macmillan Odhiambo of Kibra defeated Collins Muna of Nairobi County. Patrick Joe of Nairobi County saw off Peter Boaz of Nairobi Metropolitan in the same weight.

Nairobi’s Peter Abuki knocked out Peter Kinyua of Meru in the first round to book a place in the light heavyweight finals and was scheduled to meet Geoffrey Ochieng’ of Nairobi County who had stopped Peter Odhiambo in a first round knockout.

Isaac Waweru of Nairobi County was made to work extra hard before overcoming John Mwanza of Soweto in a bantamweight clash and was set to face-off with Mohammed Ali of Coast Combined who had beaten Titus Kimani of Soweto on points.

In the lightweight (60kg) semifinal match, Benson Kamau of Nairobi boxed out Simon Muchoki of Nairobi Metropolitan.

Martin Achebi of Nairobi won a light welterweight semifinal clash against James Waiganjo of Ndenderu on points.

Meanwhile, David Haye has rejected the idea that stablemate Carl Frampton’s recent high-profile defeat means he is under more pressure for his all-English heavyweight grudge match against Tony Bellew, adds AFP reports.

The 36-year old Haye weighed in at 101 kg for the fight at London’s O2 Arena against 96.6 kg for Bellew, who will fight at heavyweight for the first time.

Their much-hyped bout follows Frampton’s defeat by Leo Santa Cruz in Las Vegas, just a second career loss for trainer Shane McGuigan.