Boxing: Boxer Kyalo bows out of Hamburg WBC

Sportpesa Boxing League Edwin Okong'o (red) from KDF and John Kyalo from Police battle for victory during the first leg of Sportpesa Boxing League finals held in Kisumu at Kenyatta Sports Ground on March 25,2017.Okong'o won 2-1.(Photo: Denish Ochieng/ Standard)

Kenyan middleweight boxer John Kyalo bowed out of the World Boxing Championships as the tournament got underway in Hamburg, Germany, on Friday night.

Kyalo, the first member of the national boxing team to take the ring, was beaten by Englishman Benjamin Whittaker on a unanimous points’ decision in a one-sided middleweight bout.

Head Coach David Munuhe was a disappointed man with the exit of Kenya Defence Forces boxer in the showpiece though he had earlier vowed to take the three members of ‘The Hit Squad’ to medal bracket. He said Whittaker’s height helped him in the fight.

“Whittaker is tall and he took advantage of his height. This was after the referee cautioned Whittaker for holding onto Kyalo,” Munuhe told Standard Sport.[Ben Ahenda]