Boxing: KDF fighter gives Kenya third win as Okoth lands Series for good display

By ERNEST NDUNDA

Kenya’s Abaka Nickson punches hard against Estonian Arro Kaupo in their men’s light welter duel at the World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Thursday.  [PHOTO: AIBA]

Kenya progressed well in the on-going World Boxing Championships in Kazakhstan after another boxer advanced to the third round on Friday.

Simon Mulinge Nzioka is now one step from making it to the quarterfinal of the fly weight (52kg), as he only needs to win his next Tuesday’s match to land into quarters.

Nzioka unleashed some of the best combinations of the championships so far to knockdown Charles Edwards of England in the first round.

The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) boxer combined his left and right jabs well, of which one resulted in a knockdown.

After the win, Nzioka walked around the ring to the appreciative crowd making Kenya proud of his sterling victory.

Nzioka’s win is the third for Kenya.Rayton Okwiri and Nick Abaka won their bouts to advance to the second round and enhance Kenya’s chances of making it to the medal brackets.

“Nzioka seemed to have prepared well for the bout as he took less than a minute to TKO his opponent,” said coach Albert Metito from Kazakhstan.

“We have made it this far due to the current good leadership in boxing fraternity in Kenya,” added Metito.

It was a double victory for Kenya on Friday after another Kenyan Dennis Okoth alias Billadong was admitted into the World Series Boxing.

Meanwhile, Okoth who lost 2-1 in his light welter (64kg) to Turkish Fatih Keles was admitted to the series due to his brilliant show in the fight.

Okoth has now entered into the professional ranks where he would be paid Sh425,000 per month by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) where 20 per cent of the money would go to his federation.

John Kameta, Boxing Association of Kenya Chairman said Okoth would be a boxer of the AIBA World Series Boxing for the next one year.

“This is a big step for the Kenyan boxers as more are likely to be admitted to the series,” said Kameta.

He said World Series of Boxing is a professional international competition that allows the professional boxers to maintain Olympic Games eligibility, organised by AIBA unlike amateur boxing competitors taking part in sanctioned WSB bouts must be bare-chested and are not permitted to wear protective headgear.

 Each participating boxer is drafted by one of a number of international franchises and can earn money by taking part in professional-style bouts.

However, they maintain amateur status and remain eligible to compete at the Olympic Games. The scores of three judges or, in some cases decide each bout, by a knockout, technical knockout or walkover. A WSB meet between two international franchises consists of bouts in ten (formerly five) weight categories.

There are five three-minute rounds in each bout and the team that wins the most number of bouts wins the meet.

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