Ongare through, Akinyi beaten in Africa Zone III Championships
Kenya's Christine Ongare poses for photos after her unanimous points decision victory over Uganda’s Catherine Nanziri in the flyweight box-off to become the first Kenyan woman boxer to qualify for the Olympics through a competitive qualifier on February 29, 2020.
What you need to know:
- Tokyo Olympic Games-bound Nick Okoth (featherweight), Joshua Wasike (heavyweight) and George Cosby (middleweight) also won to ease through to the next round of their respective bouts.
- Another Kenyan boxer headed for the Olympic Games, Elly Ajowi (heavyweight) and compatriot Shaffi Bakari (flyweight), also lost their bouts.
Commonwealth bronze medallist Christine Ongare is the only surviving Kenyan woman boxer at the ongoing Africa Zone III Championships in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This is after Tokyo Olympic Games-bound Elizabeth Akinyi (welterweight) Elizabeth Andiego (middleweight) and Lucy Achieng (lightweight) were bundled out in their first round matches on Tuesday evening.
Tokyo Olympic Games-bound Nick Okoth (featherweight), Joshua Wasike (heavyweight) and George Cosby (middleweight) also won to ease through to the next round of their respective bouts.
Another Kenyan boxer headed for the Olympic Games, Elly Ajowi (heavyweight) and compatriot Shaffi Bakari (flyweight), also lost their bouts.
Ongare schooled Ornella Hvyarimana from Burundi before disposing her in their flyweight contest.
Akinyi lacked ring confidence to lose to Acindan Panguana from Mozambique while Andiego was no match for home boxer Marie Noel Mwika.
Achieng also lacked the ring confidence as she failed to utilise her good reach losing out to home boxer Tshamala Muenge.
Okoth beautifully and tactically worked around home boxer Katangila wa Katangika to win as Wasike subjected Ibrahim Saad Saad from Libya forcing his handlers to throw in the towel in the second round.
Cosby proved too smart against Congolese Bolanga Kosa to advance.
Ajowi lost to the tactically smart Malian Maxime Yegnong Jieyo as Bakari suffered a second round stoppage on medical grounds after he sustained a cut from a headbutt.
Bakari went down on his knee after the headbutt to call for medical attention as the ring doctor stopped the bout altogether.
Bakari's stunned opponent Nimuboma Moussa was awarded victory, a decision that drew protests from Bakari's handlers.
The previous day, Okoth had beaten compatriot Martin Oluoch in the first round while Bakari had stopped David Kamau also in the first round.
Ajowi lost to Malian Maxime Yegnong Jieyo.
Other Kenyan boxers Boniface Mogunde and Joseph Shigali had the previous day made work of their opponents to advance to the next round.
Mogunde, the 2019 African Games bronze medallist, outwitted Jean Onana Ngah from Cameroon in the welterweight contest as Shigali beat Congolese Zola Pembele in the lightweight bout.
However, their colleague Victor Odhiambo suffered a first round knockout after he failed to keep his guard allowing Alain Christina Sangue from Cameroon to take him out with a left hook.
