Kenya’s Gabriel “Ochinniga” Ochieng made short work of Tanzanian Ramadhan Kumbele within two rounds to claim the vacant Universal Boxing Organisation (UBO) International bantamweight title at Impala Sports Club ground on Saturday.
The 31-year-old Ochieng punished Kumbele with heavy barrages that saw him kiss the canvass several times in the first round. Kumbele’s corner threw in their towel but as per rules, the referee Francis Olando failed to stop the contest.
The bell to finish the first round might have saved Kumbele, but he barely serviced the second round where he was literary chased on the ring during the Team Boxing Promotion extravaganza sponsored by Pump Gymnasium.
Seemingly having soaked in enough punishment, Kumbele failed to respond to the bell signalling the start of the third round, forcing Olando to declare Ochieng, the national and regional champion, the winner.
The bout was scheduled for 12 rounds.
The victory that took Ochieng’s professional wins to 18 with seven losses and a draw, puts him in line for the vacant UBO World title before the end of the year. It was Kumbele’s 14th loss though he has 21 wins and four draws.
“It’s such a good feeling to win this belt. It’s a high time I scaled the ladder to bigger things,” said Ochieng, after he got to receive his belt from Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, who was accompanied by former Nairobi Mayor Joe Aketch and Commonwealth Boxing Council director Reuben Ndolo.
Ochieng’s coach Julius Odhiambo said he will talk to UBO governors to give his boxer a shot at the vacant World title before the end of the year.
The other UBO International Female Lightweight title fight between Kenya’s Consolata Musanga and Tanzania Rehema Abdallah failed to take place after the visitor failed a medical test back home.
However, Musanga still fought another Tanzania Salama Abdallah whom she stopped in the second of the scheduled six rounds bout.
Kenya’s Africa Boxing Union champion Daniel Wanyonyi sent Tanzanian Jacob Maganga to the canvass three times before knocking him out in the first round of their non-title super middleweight bout.
Perhaps the highlight of the extravaganza was the super middleweight six round bout between Pardeep Kharera and Kenya’s George Owano.
Kharera combined his lethal left hand with his explosive right hook to knockdown Owano several times in the second round before the Kenyan surrendered going back to the ring for the third round for the scheduled six rounds bout.
In other bouts, debutante former Kenyan international Aziz “Kolombo” Ali needed two minutes and 40 seconds of the first round to knockout Charles Kakande from Uganda in their cruiserweight bout.
Fiston Botumbe beat Uganda’s Hudson Muhumuza on unanimous points decision in their six rounds light heavyweight contest. George Onyango of Kenya knocked out Abadla Luwanje in the third round of their super middleweight bout while Florence Muthoni outclassed Amina Muhammed from Tanzania on points in their six round middleweight tussle.
