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The Nairobian

BOXERS’ LIFELINE TO RIO Olympics: Gicharu, Abaka, Mulinge and Ajowi invited to global tourney

Boxing

By Ben Ahenda | Mar 30, 2016

2014 Commonwealth Bronze medalist Benson Gicharu Nganjiru, left, Rayton Okwiri Welter weight and instructor Joseph Jaoko on arrival at JKIA from King Lion International Boxing Tournament in Srilanka on Saturday 3rd May, 2014. Photo/Jonah Onyango.

Four Kenyan boxers have another chance of qualifying for the Rio Olympics. This follows their invitation to the World Boxing Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, in June.

Boxing Association of Kenya (BAK) President, John Kameta, said the four were invited due to their performance in the last African Olympic qualifiers in Younde, Cameroon, last month.

Out of the four, two take part in the Amateur Professional Boxing (APB) Championships. They are bantamweight boxers Benson Njangiru Gicharu of Police and middleweight Nickson Abaka of Kenya Defence Forces.

The others are fly Simon Mulinge of KDF and heavyweight Elly Ajowi of Police.

“The four displayed a sterling performance at the continental qualifiers despite not reaching the medal bracket and they must be given another chance due to their experience and exposure in different international championships,” Kameta told FeverPitch.

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Ajowi, who started training yesterday after he sustained a knuckle injury in Younde, was jovial but said he would skip the first leg of the National Boxing League in Mombasa from April 14-16 following advice from his coaches.

“The technical bench has advised me to rest for a few weeks and I have to follow their instructions,” he said after the morning jog.

While training under National coaches George ‘Foreman’ Onyango and John Waweru, he said: “I’m equal to the task of making another Olympic Qualification stab in Azerbaijan.”

However, Abaka said the Azerbaijan Championships would be challenging because it would be a global qualifier compared to the continental championship in Cameroon.

Abaka hoped to follow in the footsteps of Prisons welterweight boxer Rayton Okwiri, who qualified after he defeated Mohammed Azuma of Ghana 3-0 in Younde in the finals.

“I have already improved on speed and the APB Championships has hardened me for future international championships,” said the boxer.

Meanwhile, BAK Vice President Albert Matito, who is also an AIBA Level Three coach, confirmed the first leg of the National Boxing League would be a selection trial for the Azerbaijan Championships.

"They will be purely selected on merit because we need to win more medals at the Rio Olympics,” he said.

In the meantime, Kameta and Matito have sent condolences to the family of the late Fauzia Abeid who was the BAK Nyanza branch treasurer and TM to last year’s Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville.

They termed the late treasurer as a person who dedicated her time and money to serve the boxing fraternity.