Kenyan Olympic boxing champion, Rayton Okwiri, is set to face off with Malawian opponent, Limbani Chikapa, in a non-title fight in Mauritius on February 24th.
Okwiri revealed that he has been steadily preparing and getting ready for this match with former Kenyan veteran boxer Daniel Shisia as his coach and renowned fitness trainer, Silas Otieno, as his fitness instructor.
This match comes as a follow up of his victory in the previous year’s World Alliance Boxing Association (WABA) Africa middleweight where he is the current reigning champion.
He defeated Chikodi Makawa of Malawi on a unanimous points decision at the Nyayo National Stadium, scoring 100-90 from all three judges to win the title.
This victory added to his impressive record to nine wins, one loss and one draw (9-1-1).
His opponent, Limbani Chikapa, enters this match with a record of 9 wins, 7 loses and 0 draws (9-7-0) with three of those wins being knock outs.
The match is expected to be a tough but entertaining one, with Owkiri being confident that he will emerge victorious in the spout.
Speaking on the state of boxing in the country, Rayton called on more boxers to come out and challenge him for the titles he has, sensitizing that he still hasn’t identified a young boxer who can take over his place in the ring.
With more opportunities now open for going pro, Okwiri also urged upcoming boxers to take advantage of this as more promoters are emerging organizing fights all over the country and Africa as well.
This match was organized by a Mauritius promoter and is a sign that boxing in Kenya is slowly going in the right direction.
Okwiri launched his professional career in 2017, after winning the gold medal at the 2016 African Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament and representing Kenya at the 2016 Summer Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Author : Neville Mulama
