Kenya to wait longer for a win at Aiba World Championships
Nicholas Okong'o Okoth (right) of Kenya lands a right on Tsendbaatar Erdenebat of Mongolia during the Men's Feather (52-57kg) on day one of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Kokugikan Arena on July 24, 2021 in Tokyo.
What you need to know:
- Judges Said Moufassir (Morocco), Hyeok Lee (Korea), Steven Masiyambumbi (Zimbabwe) and Roderico Garcia (Guatemala) all scored 30-27 for the Dominican. American Robin Rosario gave Alexis 30-25.
Kenya’s hopes of winning a fight at the 2021 Aiba Men’s World Championships continued to fade after Olympian Nicholas “Commander” Okoth surrendered 5-0 against Alexis De La Cruz at the Stark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia Wednesday night.
Judges Said Moufassir (Morocco), Hyeok Lee (Korea), Steven Masiyambumbi (Zimbabwe) and Roderico Garcia (Guatemala) all scored 30-27 for the Dominican. American Robin Rosario gave Alexis 30-25.
The 38-year-old Okoth has not won at three successive world championships. He made his debut the global championship in 2009 in Milan, Italy where he got awarded a walkover in the the first round against Japanese Satoshi Shimizu before being demolished in the ring by Turk Kerem Gurgen 11-0 in Round 2.
Okoth returned to the World Championships in 2017 in Hamburg, Germany where he lost in a unanimous 5-0 decision to Brazilian Wanderson de Oliveira in the first round.
Both Okoth and Alexis were eliminated early in Hamburg and were also at the Tokyo Games in this year.
They could have met in Tokyo in the second round had Okoth not lost his first fight to Mongolian Erdenebatyn Tsendbaatar.
Alexis defeated Guyanese Keevin Allicock in the first round before being stopped by Russian Albert Batyrgaziev in the second round.
Meanwhile, featherweight Martin Oduor Aluoch has asked Kenyans to pray for him as he prepares to enter the ring on Thursday for his first ever fight at the global competition.
Oduor is one of the three boxers from Kenya who will be in action on Thursday, others being Olympian Elly Ajowi (Super Heavyweight) and Joseph Shigali (Welterweight).
“I ask Kenyans to put me in their prayers ahead of my first fight at the World Championships,” said the policeman. "I have never met my opponent and I don’t want to find out who he is through google. Let the fists do the talking in the ring. I know I’m going to win that fight,” said Oduor.
Ajowi is returning to the global contests after early exits in 2009 and 2013. He competed at the Tokyo Olympics two months ago in Japan.
“I thank God for giving me the chance to be at the World Championship again. I also thank the Boxing Federation of Kenya and the government for the support they have given us."
