Kenya Police win third national leg in Mombasa

Ethan Maina (right) of Kenya Police trades punches with Nick Gicharu of KDF in a past league bout. [Gideon Maundu, Standard]

Former champions Kenya Police’s Chafua Chafua boxing team stifled their rivals Kenya Defence Force (KDF) to win the third leg of the national boxing league at the weekend.

The policemen defeated their opponents after entering eight boxers in the final to win the third leg with 22 points at Uwanja Wa Mbuzi grounds, in Mombasa.

Police proved they mean business and reclaim the title they lost to KDF at the same venue in the 2017 final leg.

Kenya Police won the league in 2017 but the win was reversed and handed over to KDF after it emerged that some officials tempered with the results to favour the police.

Back to Uwanja Wa Mbuzi on Saturday, KDF finished second with 20 points while Mombasa boxers gave their best performance to finish third with four points.

Kentrack and Kibra boxers tied on three points each while Vihiga, Githurai 44 and Nairobi were tied on two points each.

In individual performance, Hezron Maganga (KDF) unleashed hard-hitting punches to outclass Police’s Humphrey Ochieng Jakababa in the light heavy bout.

Maganga was superior with well-calculated jabs that proved hard for Ochieng to contain.

In another match, experience played a big role as Abednego Kyalo of KDF showed little respect to his opponent Martin Maina of Police in light fly. Kyalo won3-0.

In ladies’ bouts, Veronica Mbithe of KDFdefeated Flavian Auma (Busia) 2-1.