Busia and Kenya Prisons entered two boxers in the final as the National Novice Championships entered its penultimate stage at the Nairobi’s Charter Hall yesterday.
Fans who thronged the venue were treated to some exhilarating displays of boxing artistry.
In the light heavyweight final, Kisumu’s Sylvester Oyoo retired in the third round handing Prisons Okinye Oluchukwu victory.
Bantamweight Peter Mureithi of Murang’a also retired to hand Thomas Mwangi of Kwale the semifinal win.
The 49kg light flyweight final will feature Cyrus Onyango of Nairobi against Alex Ndunge of Muranga.
Onyango defeated David Shamed of Mombasa on points while Ndunge vanquished Joseph Okello of Prisons.
The 52kg flyweight final will feature David Otieno of Vihiga against Dalmas Kyalo of Muranga. Kyalo saw off Police’s Joseph Kamau while Otieno beat Moses Owino of Nairobi.
In the 91kg super heavyweight category, Nairobi’s Wellington Busili defeated Moses Asanga of Vihiga. The 81kg heavyweight class also produced fireworks as Osama Raden booked a ticket to the final after defeating Rajab Ismail of Nairobi on points.
The Novices which are a precursor to April’s Kenya Open are being used as a yardstick to pick boxers for the National Intermediate Championships slated for Thika next month. All Novice finalists from today’s final and those selected at county levels will play in the Intermediates where slots for the Kenya Open will be up for grabs.
Unlike in the past, when competitions lasted for three days, an extra day has been added to the program to accommodate the bumper entry of 124 boxers drawn from 17 counties.
The semis yesterday were graced by the former Mayor of Nairobi Joe Aketch and BAK Presidential aspirant Anthony Otieno ‘aka’ Jamal and various former Kenya international boxers including Peter ‘Dynamite’ Otieno who is handling the Nakuru team and 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth silver medalist Absalom Okinyi.
–the-star.co.ke
