Okwiri demands compensation over botched Allotey fight

Former Africa Boxing Union super middleweight champion Rayton Okwiri has called on the Kenya Professional Boxing Commission to push for his compensation for his missed fight against Ghana’s Patrick Allotey.

Promoters of the WBO Africa super welterweight title fight said they were postponing it after Allotey decided to side-step his Kenyan rival who is now demanding pay for investment and time wasted training for the clash.

Okwiri was due to face the Ghanaian on December 26, 2021 but the fight was cancelled at the last minute after Allotey allegedly sustained a shoulder injury.

Much to the shock of Okwiri, the promoters have already picked a relatively easy opponent in Tanzania's Hamisi Maya (10-3-1) to face Allotey on March 26 in Accra.

"I am very disappointed that I received a message that the boxer I was to fight in Accra, Ghana is planning another fight on March 26 this year. The reason we postponed our fight was that he had suffered a shoulder injury.

“But based on my investigation I knew that was false and he was afraid to fight me and that is why he has sought another opponent. It is a clear sign that he is afraid of me,” Okwiri said.

A dejected Okwiri has said that he feels betrayed and he wants to be compensated.

"I just want the Kenya Professional Boxing Commission to take up the issue on my behalf to demand that l be compensated or we seek legal redress.

“This is because when I was in camp I used my money in preparation for the fight and I also feel he wasted my time because I could have picked another opponent to fight. It's so unprofessional of them to pick on a weak boxer from Tanzania without informing me. I am shocked,” Okwiri added.

Okwiri has been training in the United States of America since June 2021 before flying to Dar-es-Salaam in October where he featured in four non-title fights.