Kenyan boxers stop Ugandans, Ivorians

Simon Mulinge (in red jersey) of KDF ABC trade punches with Maurice Ochieng (in blue jersey) of Police ABC in their fly weight category final bout during the road to Olympics boxing championship trials at the Modern Fitness Lounge, January 24, 2016. Mulinge won by points and was among those selected to represent Kenya. [PHOTO BY GIDEON MAUNDU/STANDARD].

Light fly Shaffi Bakari and lightweight Nickson Okoth won their quarter-final bouts as five Kenyans pounded their way into medal brackets on the second day of African Boxing Championships in Congo Brazzaville.

However, flyweight Simon Mulinge bowed out of the tournament, which is also a selection process for African boxers who will take part in the World Boxing Championships in Hamburg, Germany from August 25- September 3. Mulinge lost to Loic Ngumbi of Congo Brazzaville in the flyweight clash.

Bakari (light fly) defeated Kizza Joshua of Uganda while Okoth (lightweight) eliminated Mandula Mtshita of Ivory Coast to join the previous three quarterfinalists.

Bakari and Okoth now join light welter Victor Ater Odhiambo, Blackmoses Mathenge (welter) and light Elly Ajowi (heavyweight) in quarterfinal bouts tomorrow.

In order to qualify for the global championships, a boxer must have reached the semifinal stages of the tournament.

So far, only two male boxers in fly Simon Mulinge and super heavyweight Fred Ramogi out of ten players who travelled to the Central African country last weekend have bowed out of the continental tournament.

Two Kenyan female boxers, fly Christine Shisoka and middleweight Elizabeth Akinyi, have qualified for the global championships.

Middleweight John Kyalo was yet to play his preliminary match against Sudanese Anouar Koukou in the middleweight yesterday.

Meanwhile, World Boxing Commission Super bantamweight women champion Fatuma Zarika will fight Jamaican Alicia Ashley on June 30 in Dallas, Texas in the United States of America.

World Boxing Commission are to reveal the venue of the bout this week.

The re-match, which was earlier scheduled for Nairobi was shifted to the US, where Zarika has been training for the past four weeks since teaming up with her new manager Nelson Lopez of Nelson Promotions.

It will be a repeat of last year’s clash, which Zarika emerged victorious when she defeated the Jamaican to claim the prestigious title via a split decision at the Dort Federal Event Centre in Flint in Michigan in the United States of America.