Kenyan boxers post mixed results at continental showpiece

Kenya's Situs Onyango (right) and Abel Alemu of Ethiopia during the Africa Zone Three Boxing Championship at Kasarani Gymnasium on Monday. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Kenya made a formidable comeback after a false start when several boxers won their matches to keep hope of lifting the overall title on Day 1 of the Africa Zone Three Boxing Championships at Kasarani Gymnasium.

In the opening matches, Kenya had registered five consecutive losses, a development that sent shockwaves through the forthcoming matches.

It was welterweight Wiseman Kavondo who returned hope to the camp with a split-point win over Cameroonian Oumarou Mouhammed to book his ticket to the semi-finals.

Thereafter, it was followed by a 5-0 win for Africa Games middleweight gold medallist Edwin Okong'o, who dismissed compatriot George Cosby on a unanimous points decision.

"We came here with an aim of winning gold medals. We will not lose track of that resolve," Okong'o had said before the match.

It was a fifth victory for Okong'o against the same opponent from their seven outings in both local and international assignments so far this year.

Then came the experienced female light welterweight pugilist Cythia Mwai, who arrested compatriot Silvia Obwamu on a unanimous points decision ahead of the direct qualification of welterweight Frizah Anyango into the welterweight finals owing to fewer opponents in that weight category.

Flyweight Diouf Mwimi added more happiness to the Kenyan camp with a 4-1 win over Rwandese Valentine Ntangamana in a match where both of them made their debut for their respective teams.

Mwimi faces Livingstone Matovu of Uganda in the semi-finals on Wednesday evening.

Matovu dethroned Africa Military Games flyweight gold medallist Kevin Maina of Kenya 3-2 in another flyweight quarter-final match.

Featherweight Paul Omondi of Kenya had a direct qualification into the semis and will face Kassim Murungi of Uganda.

Murungi defeated Badiamanga Nyama of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) 5-0 in another one-sided quarter-final match.

Another featherweight Kenyan boxer, Mwinyi Kombo, who boxes for Kenya Prisons in the national league also matched to last four after seeing off Constantine George of Tanzania 5-0.

Kombo faces Fiti Tumei of Ethiopia in the semis.

At some point in the second round, Mwinyi was bleeding, which caused anxiety to his technical bench about whether he could continue with the match.

And in the light welterweight, Nakuru boy Caleb Wandera overcame Pacific Nyonsimo of Rwanda on a unanimous points decision to book his ticket to the semis.

The duo was making their debut in international assignments for their respective teams.

"I'm smelling a gold medal at the end of it after that intense training," said Wandera.

Wandera looked confident throughout the match, winning the hearts of the five judges, who gave him a 5-0 verdict to proceed to the last four, where he'll face Njibu Njibu of DRC.

On his part, Njibu had beaten Ethiopian Abraham Atemu in the third quarter.