Boxing League: Police, KDF level on points after round of action

After a brutal three-day battle, defending champions Kenya Police and traditional rivals KDF fought to a thrilling 22-point tie in the first leg of the 45th Kenya National Boxing League at the Old Town Hall in Nakuru. The nail-biting finish has now set the stage for a blockbuster second leg in Mombasa from July 9–11.

Sombea finished third with 10 points, followed by Nairobi County on nine points. Prisons and Nakuru ABC tied for fourth place with seven points each, while Kasarani Youth settled for fifth place with six points. The results proved that the gap between the established giants and emerging prospects is rapidly narrowing.

Several seasoned stars suffered shock defeats at the hands of rising talents. Among those beaten were 2022 Africa silver medallist Samuel Njau, IBA Africa Zone 3 minimumweight champion Silas Onyango, and 2024 African Championships bronze medallist Aloice Vincent. Nakuru ABC southpaw James Tachia particularly stood out in the flyweight division as KDF’s self-proclaimed “landlord” of the weight class, Africa Military Games champion Kelvin “Young” Maina, watched from ringside at the packed Old Town Hall.

Nakuru’s 21-year-old southpaw Joseph Moses stunned Police boxer and IBA Africa Zone 3 minimumweight champion Silas Onyango with a narrow 4-3 points victory. Tachia continued his impressive run by outpointing KDF’s Emmanuel Chondo in the semifinals before defeating Police boxer Abdullah Juma in the finals.

Sombea Boxing Club further proved they are an emerging force in Nakuru’s boxing scene after securing an impressive third-place finish. Their performance was witnessed by Boxing Federation of Kenya President Anthony Otieno, popularly known as Jamal.

Making a comeback to the local scene after nearly two years out of action, KDF’s Samuel Njau suffered defeat to sensational Kasarani Youth lightweight Ben Juma. Juma dominated Njau from the opening round before the referee stopped the contest in the third round after Njau sustained a cut above his right eye.

Sombea’s pressure fighter Ayub Waweru edged Prisons’ Aloice Vincent 3-2 in a thrilling light-welterweight contest that could have gone either way.

Kenya Open bantamweight champion Dennis Muthama of KDF maintained his dominance by first outpointing Police veteran Shaffi Bakari before defeating Prisons’ promising southpaw Chris Musyoka. Musyoka was unfortunate to suffer a deep cut above the right eyebrow following a clash of heads and lost via second-round RSC abandonment.

IBA Africa Zone 3 featherweight silver medallist Mwinyi Kombo, popularly known as “The Giant Killer,” once again struggled against lanky Kasarani Youth boxer Chris Juma, the reigning Kenya Open featherweight champion. Juma handed Kombo three standing counts en route to his second victory over the Police boxer, having also beaten him in the Kenya Open finals at Kaloleni Social Hall in April.

Africa light-middleweight champion Boniface “The Hammer” Mogunde of Police stretched his unbeaten local run to eight years after comfortably dispatching Sombea’s Maxwell Michael through a second-round RSC abandonment. Meanwhile, African Games champion Edwin Okong’o reaffirmed his dominance in the middleweight division with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Kibra Olympic’s Ken Omollo.

IBA World Championships quarter-finalist Robert Okaka, famously known as “Man Ngori,” continued his reign in the light-heavyweight division with a ruthless display against Police boxer George Cosby. Cosby received three standing counts before the referee stopped the fight in the opening round.

In the cruiserweight division, KDF’s Chris Ochanda produced a polished performance to defeat Kenya Open champion Humphrey Ochieng, alias “Jakababa,” 5-0.

In the women’s category, Veronica Mbithe displayed brilliant form while the explosive Friza Asiko maintained her dominance by stopping Sombea’s Winnie Shisiali in the first round with a powerful performance. Mbithe was equally clinical, stopping Nairobi County’s Joyce Nyaga just one minute and 42 seconds into their flyweight bout.