As the final leg of the National Boxing League heads to Kisumu on Thursday, two weights that are the most competitive will be the centre of attraction in the fight for top honours.
They are bantamweight (54kg) and light heavyweight (81kg) where their fighters are experienced and have been a thorn in the flesh of each other.
Boxers in the two weights box for league champions Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and record Kenyan champions Kenya Police.
They are Police duo of Hassan Shaffi Bakari and Humphrey ‘Jakababa’ Ochieng’ and the KDF duo of Dennis Muthama and Robert Okaka.
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All of them featured in the Africa Zone Three Boxing Championships recently hosted in Nairobi.
Arch rivals Bakari and Muthama who have beaten each other in the first four legs are bound to face each other again in the bantamweight finals, same to Ochieng’ and Okaka in the light heavyweight. Bakari, who’s the national bantamweight champion has been beaten twice by Muthama this year despite overcoming the later in the penultimate leg of the league championships in Nanyuki a fortnight ago.
“He cannot beat me again after I defeated him today. I had prepared well and was ready for the duel and ready to repeat the same in Kisumu,” Bakari told Standard Sports in Nanyuki.
Muthama had beaten Bakari in the second and third legs of the league in Mombasa and Nakuru, a development that could result in whoever wins in Kisumu to be declared the national bantamweight champion and the two boxers know what awaits them this week.
The same applies to the light heavyweight fight between Ochieng’ and Okaka after the latter won in the last two legs.
When reached, Muthama was mum about the forthcoming fight while Ochieng’ said it will not be a walk in the park the way Okaka thinks. “It will not be easy in Kisumu the way Okaka might think. Last time when he beat me, I had an injury but I have since recovered and ready for this one,” Ochieng’ said yesterday.
Okaka has beaten Ochieng’ five times this year and the latter thinks the trend is worrying.
“If you floor somebody in a boxing ring and see him keep rising, don’t think he is weak. He might turn against you next time,” warned Ochieng’.
Okaka won in Nanyuki and at the Africa Zone Three Championships and he is inspired to lift the national light heavyweight title. Okaka said he has prepared well enough to keep his winning streak.
“All is well on my part and I’m only looking forward to maintain my status in this fight with the hope of being declared the national champion,” he said.
Coaches will use the Kisumu championships to pick the national team that heads to Dubai for the Elite World Men Boxing Championships from December 2-13.
“It’s competitive to pick this team after all we have had this year. But merit and other factors will guide us in doing this,” head coach Musa Benjamin told Standard Sports.
He encouraged all boxers to work hard for their spaces.