Washington Wandera of KDF ( right) in action against John Kanyike of Kisumu during the third leg of the National Boxing League at Madison Square Garden, Nakuru on November 26, 2023. [File, Standard]
Defending champions Kenya Defence Forces and Kenya Police remain favourites for the title, as their boxers won their opening final matches in the fourth leg of the National Boxing League in Nanyuki on Saturday.
Whoever wins the penultimate leg of the league championship in Nanyuki will be in a pole position to clinch the overall title ahead of next month’s leg in Kisumu.
Boxers of the two teams who won their finals in their respective bouts were policemen Silas Onyango (minimumweight) and Shaffi Bakari (bantamweight), KDF’s flyweight Kelvin Maina and lightweight Washington Wandera.
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Onyango arrested Stanley Mathenge of KDF on a unanimous points decision, as Bakari achieved a similar feat against Chris Musyoki of Kenya Prisons.
Bakari admitted having corrected the mistakes that made him lose to his archrivals Dennis Muthama of KDF in the last two legs of the league championships.
“Yes, I had lost to Muthama twice in Nakuru and Mombasa, but I’m happy to have beaten him in the semi-finals before marching to the finals where I overwhelmed Chris Musyoki of Kenya Prisons,” he said.
Bakari said he’s determined to wrestle the bantamweight title with another win in Kisumu next month, having won a silver medal at the Africa Zone Three Boxing Championships in Nairobi last month.
In the KDF’s victories, Maina (Kelvin) defeated Moses Kilavuka of Kenya Prisons on a unanimous points decision, as Wandera (Washington) received a walkover against experienced policeman Ethan Maina.
Featherweight Michael Otieno of KDF also won his final bout against Yuticas Wanjau of Githurai 44 on points.