SIERRA LEONE’S JOSEFIEN BETIST WINS GOLD MEDAL IN RIGA LADIES BOX CUP

▪️She outpointed an opponent from Lithuania in the finals to put the icing on the cake in the successful Latvia outing

March 9, 2026

A remarkable performance by Sierra Leone’s celebrated boxer, Josefien Betist, earned her a gold medal in the 7th Riga Ladies Box Cup in Latvia on Sunday, March 8, 2026.

It was a fitting climax to a brilliant show by Betist who represented St Brigids Boxing Club Edenberry based in Ireland.

Information sent to boxersworld.co.ke by her coach, William Brereton, shows in the final lightweight bout, Betist outpointed Lithuania’s Beatrice Savickaite 4-1.

In the semi-finals, Betist defeated Sweden’s Lilli Arman 5-0 and saw off Germany’s Victoria Sawazki 5-0 in the quarter-finals.

“Josefien’s next destination in her build-up to the Commonwealth Games depends on availability of funds, she’s likely to take part in the Africa Championships at the end of May,” her coach Brereton told boxersworld.co.ke from Latvia.

Betist’s precious gold in Latvia made up for her disappointment in last month’s Strandja Memorial Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria, where Brereton said she was robbed of victory against Romania’s Claudia Nechita.

“I genuinely thought she won the fight, she won the last two rounds but surprisingly lost 3-2,” said Brereton.

At the 2025 Women’s World Championships in Serbia, Betist almost made it to the semi-finals but went down in the quarters to Serbia’s Natalia Sadrina who won a bronze medal.

▪️The Kenyans like most other African countries had a bad day in the office losing their first fight on Day One of World Futures Cup U19 boxing tournament in Bangkok, Thailand

March 9, 2026

Kenya’s national team head coach Musa Benjamin pulls no punches in describing the big gap on boxing finesse between African boxers and their counterparts from Europe, Asia and the USA.

Musa made the remarks after the first day of the World Futures Cup U19 boxing tournament which started in Bangkok, Thailand on Sunday, March 8, 2026.

He was at the corner when his boxer, Phelix Ochieng, was stopped in the first round by Kazakhstan’s southpaw Doszhan Zhumakhan who subjected the Kenyan boxer to two standing countries after which the referee stopped the fight.

The vast gap in skill level was evident in the fight as Ochieng was unable to cope up with the speed and superior ring craft of his swift and faster opponent who scored at will as the Kenyan struggled to find the range.

“The Kazakh’s stance was the first problem, then he was also too quick both on his feet and hands,” Musa told boxersworld.co.ke in a telephone interview from Bangkok.

Musa however had reservations on the referee’s abrupt decision to stop the fight after she gave Ochieng two standing counts of eight.

“Phelix hadn’t established his range and rhythm before the ref stopped it. I feel the stoppage was premature at that stage because our boxer was not hurt by any punch and was not wobbling,” said Musa.

The Kenyan coach however accepted African boxers, whose exposure is minimal coupled with inadequate preparations, have a lot of catching up to do with the European and Asian countries.

“Well, the gap is evident. There are teams that were here weeks ago for training camps,” noted Musa, suggesting the way forward.

“The critical areas,” he said, “that need urgent support are, infrastructure, grassroots development, regular exposure and technical capacity building. Without these, competing against the top nations is going to be very difficult.”

The four Kenyan boxers trained for a few days at the poorly-equipped Mathare Police Depot Gym. The fact that they’re all students made it difficult for daytime training.

▪️Out of 18 African boxers in action on Day One of World Futures Cup U19 tournament in Bangkok, 14 lost and four of them won their fights, three from Morocco and Benin’s female bantamweight Elisabeth Salanon

▪️Arame has now turned her guns on the government. “Unfortunately the government doesn’t give priority to boxing and other combat sports coupled with small financial support and preparations, we trained only for a week,” said Arame BA

March 9, 2026

The first day of competition in Bangkok, Thailand was a total nightmare for African boxers on Sunday, March 8, 2026. It was like a bad dream but it happened.

Eighteen of them were in action on Day One of the World Futures U19 Tournament at the famous Huamark Indoor Stadium where Kenyan boxers conquered the world in the 80s during the popular annual Kings Cup Championships.

Out of the 18 African boxers in the squared circle, 14 of them including four Senegalese boxers were bundled out by their more technically superior opponents from Europe and Asia who were better tactically exploiting every gap in their opponents defence and generally more adept in ring management.

Only four African boxers – three from Morocco and one from Benin – won their fights in this weeklong tournament which is a qualifier for the Youth Olympics scheduled for Dakar, Senegal, from October 31-November 13, 2026.

A crestfallen Senegalese new female coach, Arame Ba, watched in disbelief her boxers being brought down to earth by their well prepared, more exposed and confident opponents.

The Star-1 Arame Ba has made history as the first ever Senegalese female coach to accompany her country’s team to an international overseas competition.

She travelled to Bangkok with head coach Ibrahima Wade and his assistant Alioune Ndoye brimming with confidence her boxers would do well despite the inadequate preparations they had at home but on the first day of the competition, she was woken up to the reality when her four boxers were pounded by technically superior opponents from Europe and Asia.

Arame BA’s harrowing experience highlights the stark, often painful gap in technical, tactical and resource preparations between developing boxing nations and established, countries with elite global programs such as Central Asian giants, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

For the disheartened Arame Ba, this harsh, immediate wake-up call underscores that high expectations and the raw power of the African boxers cannot overcome superior technical training, constant exposure and thorough preparations boxers from Europe, Asia and the Americas go through ahead of major competitions.

This sad and demoralizing situation serves as a critical, albeit brutal learning experience that typically forces a total re-evaluation of training methods, exposure and serious international preparations for future competitions.

However, for the African governments, the aforementioned is akin to strumming the guitar to a goat. They never learn nor are they even bothered with the poor results so long as they have funded the trips and allowances dished out.

Some of the countries even travel with their government’s representatives who know nothing about the ABC of boxing and therefore turn out to be more of a liability than an asset to their teams. They don’t compile any report and on return home their respective governments don’t even bother to conduct a postmortem on why their boxers never excel in overseas competitions out of Africa.

One would have expected the Senegalese government to be more thorough in preparing their boxing team in view of the fact that they are hosting the Youth Olympic Games this year. Far from it as Arame Ba told boxersworld.co.ke in a phone interview from Bangkok.

“As a coach and knowing the reality in our national team, I think we have a serious lack of good preparations compared to other well developed countries,” said Arame without mincing her words.

She turned her gun to the government shooting from both barrels.

“Unfortunately the government doesn’t give priority to boxing and other combat sports, no proper infrastructure for the athletes, very small financial support which can’t allow us to take care of all aspects of an athlete’s preparations. For example we gathered the boxers for the competition preparations only a week before the trip due to budget restrictions,” said Arame adding: “Chances are reduced for us if the government doesn’t invest in performance. Indeed I have faced the reality on what happens in big competitions. Our boxers didn’t make it past the second round. It’s hard time for coaches and other staff. I now have a different perspective of the situation on the ground.”

Arame Ba was at pains to explain the inexplicable decision by their boxer, light-middleweight Saliou Diop, to retire in the first round against Thailand’s Ananda Kingphanao

“We could have won this fight but our boxer just gave up in the first 30 seconds, we were all shocked why he did this,” said a disappointed Arame Ba.

“I was in Morocco in 2025. They’re very serious on their preps, they don’t play around about performance.

They’re clearly on a different level compared to teams in Africa south of Sahara.”

She went on: “On the other hand coaches are not fully aware of the evolution of the global rush for performance. The monitoring of every aspect of the athletes’ physical condition and mental state is non-existant. We have a lot to learn and integrate. But they are doing their best with the means they have to make it through a world in constant development and new science of sport.”

Arame Ba however exonerated the boxers for their lucklustre performance.

“For most of the boxers it’s their first international competition. I learned from coaches that most of them have few fights on the counter,” said Arame.

“Despite all of this we know they have the physical ability to win a fight, but they face mental issues from pressure and lack of self confidence. We are working on this to help them go through it. We’re here to gain some experience so I take all this positively hoping to correct our mistakes.”

On the flip side of it all, Arame advised the boxers to make the best out of a bad situation, citing Senegal’s world kickboxing champion Mohamed Tafsir Ba who clinched world -91kg title in Uzbekistan in 2024 despite lack of support from the government, no exposure, proper facilities and good coaching.

“Our boxers should develop serious mental strength in any bad situation and turn it to their advantage even without the coaches’ help and excel,” said Arame Ba, “We have a world champion in kickboxing, and he prepared under the same conditions as our boxers. The difference was his dedication on training with or without coaches and government support. He used his natural ability to succeed.”

In addition to Pape Maguette Yade, the other three Senegalese boxers eliminated are female flyweight Aminata Sy, female bantamweight Aminata Boiro and 2025 African Youth Games bronze medallist light-middleweight Saliou Diop.

Arame Ba, who currently works as fitness coach and trainer as well as a boxing coach, graduated to Star-1 coaching level in 2014.

“From 2013 to 2014 I worked as a development and research engineer for the national biogas program,” she said.

Was Arame Ba a boxer during her youth?

“I wasn’t a boxer. With my fitness coach career I became a Lesmills trainer in a concept called Bodycombat, an inspired mix martial arts group training,” she explained.

“I joined a boxing club to enhance my boxing skills. The coach and the staff thought that I was good at it. That’s how my path in boxing began. I initially became the physical trainer of the club.

They soon recognized how my work improved the boxers’ performance and that’s how I joined the national federation.

“Before all of this, I was a biological engineer, I made my own way in sport.”

We wish Arame Ba and the two senior coaches the best of luck in their remaining fights. Senegal entered 15 boxers, eight male and seven female boxers. All is not lost for the West Africans. They still have 11 boxers carrying their flag including 2025 African Youth Games female featherweight silver medallist Soda Faye.

The other two Moroccan boxers who won their fights are flyweight Mustapha Berhili and light-middleweight Marouane Jaafri while Benin’s bantamweight

Kenya’s lightweight Phelix Ochieng was among the 13 casualties on Day One. He was stopped in the first round by polished Kazakhstan’s southpaw Doszhan Zhuma Khan who hit the Kenyan boxer at will with pin-point accuracy.

While Ochieng showed he had the appetite for the fight, he failed to find the range against the swift Kazakhstan boxer, and was being punched repeatedly forcing the referee to waved it off after the second count of eight although the Kenyan was not hurt or dazed. Lessons learned Phelix. Don’t give up the fight you still have more boxing years ahead of you. If you believe in yourself you will eventually make it young man.

Full results of the 18 African boxers on Day One, March 8, 2026

Round of 64 female 51kg

Senegal’s Aminata Sy lost to Vietnam’s Thi Thuy Nhi Le

Round of 32 54kg female

Algeria’s Seya El Naev vs Australia’s Belle Spicer. The Australian won on a walkover.

Round of 64 men 50kg

Algeria’s Riadh Belhaidouache was beaten 5-0 by Romania’s Ionut Madalin

Benin’s Barnabe Hounnougbe lost 4-1 to Australia’s Nathan Mlacic

Round 32 54kg female

Senegal’s Khadija Boiro was stopped by Germany’s Lorin Sayim

Morocco’s Manar Adnane lost 5-0 to Columbia’s Evelin Trejos

Benin’s Elizabeth Salanon beat Romania’s Andreea Negoita 5-0

 Round 64 male 50kg

Morocco’s Mustapha Berhili outpointed Canada’s

Memphis McIntosh

Round 64 60kg male

Senegal’s Pape Maguette Yode retired in the first round against Morocco’s Youssef Hlaila

Egypt’s Adham El Sharkawy lost to Armenia’s Karen Zhakaryan

Algeria’s Abderraouf Redouani vs Thailand’s Siwa Chinarong

Round 64 men 70kg

Senegal’s Saliou Diop was stopped by Thailand’s Ananda Kingphanao

Round 64 men 60kg

Kenya’s Phelix Ochieng was stopped by Kazakhstan’s Doszhan Zhuma Khan

Equatorial Guinea’s Misael Andeke lost to Turkey’s Alparslan Civelek

Libya’s Tarik Abu Zead lost to Canada’s Jayden Willis

Round 64 men 70kg

Morocco’s Marouane Jaafri outpointed Mexico’s Jorge Nieblas

Libya’s Jihad Mohammed lost to Indonesia’s Victor Wenkang

▪️The management team will focus on providing high-quality training facilities, recruiting experienced trainers, and securing opportunities for the Ugandan fighter to compete under top promoters in the UK

Ugandan professional boxer, Abdul Ssebute, a former National Bantamweight Champion and East & Central African (ABU) Regional Champion, has officially signed a three-year management agreement with Albion Boxing Academy Cambridge and Nara Promotionz, marking a major milestone in his professional boxing career.

The agreement is expected to open new doors for Ssebute in the competitive United Kingdom boxing scene, providing him with professional guidance, training support, and opportunities to compete on bigger international fight platforms.

Structured Management to Elevate His Career

Under the newly signed deal, Albion Boxing Academy Cambridge Management, in partnership with Uganda’s Nara Promotionz, will take charge of managing and developing Ssebute’s boxing career over the next three years.

The management team will focus on providing high-quality training facilities, recruiting experienced trainers, and securing opportunities for the Ugandan fighter to compete under top promoters in the UK. These efforts aim to help Ssebute establish himself as a serious contender in the international professional boxing circuit.

Ssebute Welcomes the Opportunity

Speaking after the agreement was finalized, Ssebute expressed excitement and gratitude for the opportunity, describing the deal as a major breakthrough in his career.

Currently working as a chef at Hobson Hotel Cambridge, one of the well-known hotels in the United Kingdom, the Ugandan boxer said the partnership gives him renewed hope of reaching higher levels in professional boxing.

He acknowledged that advancing in the UK boxing industry can be extremely challenging without a strong management team, and credited the new partnership for giving him the platform he has long been working toward.

Ssebute also extended appreciation to his employer, Hobson Hotel Cambridge, his new management team, and Nara Promotionz for believing in his talent and supporting his boxing ambitions.

Management Team Impressed by His Talent

Ssebute’s manager Gary Davidson Jnr, a former boxer now managing fighters under Albion Boxing Academy Cambridge, said the team was impressed by Ssebute’s discipline, work ethic, and natural boxing ability.

Working alongside experienced trainer Tony Petchell, the management believes the Ugandan fighter has the potential to grow into a strong competitor in the UK’s professional boxing landscape.

Support from Ugandan Promoters

The meeting that finalized the agreement was attended by Nara Promotionz Director Lubowa Babu Hussein and Secretary Edirisa Kiyemba, both of whom expressed strong support for the partnership and its long-term vision of developing Ssebute into a successful international boxer.

Sponsorship Support

In a further boost for the boxer, Hobson Hotel Cambridge has also expressed willingness to support and sponsor Ssebute during his fight nights. The hotel management also welcomed Ugandans living across the United Kingdom to visit their facilities and enjoy their hospitality services available in different branches.

 A New Chapter for Ugandan Boxing

The agreement signals a promising new chapter for Abdul Ssebute and represents another step forward for Ugandan boxing talent seeking recognition on the international stage. With professional management, improved training resources, and potential access to major fight nights, Ssebute’s journey in the UK could soon place him among the Ugandan fighters making waves globally.

Courtesy Chris Posiano, Nara Promotionz

March 8th, 2026 / General

By Chris Roberts OBE, Secretary General & CEO for and on behalf of all within IBA

On International Women’s Day, 8 March 2026, the International Boxing Association (IBA) proudly joins the global community in celebrating the achievements, strength, and impact of women around the world. On this important day, we pay special tribute to our remarkable women within IBA who contribute to the success, growth, and future of our organisation.

Across every department and at every level of IBA, the women play a vital role in shaping our daily operations, strategic direction, and long-term vision. Their professionalism, resilience, and unwavering commitment are fundamental to the progress we continue to make as an international sporting organisation.

Behind every successful championship, development programme, governance initiative, and operational milestone stands the dedication, expertise, and leadership of women who work tirelessly, often behind the scenes to ensure excellence in all that we do. Their ability to lead with integrity, collaborate with purpose, and perform under pressure strengthens not only our organisation, but the sport of boxing as a whole.

International Women’s Day is an opportunity not only to recognise these invaluable contributions, but also to reaffirm our appreciation for the passion, discipline, and high standards our female colleagues bring to their work each and every day. Their efforts help foster a stronger, more inclusive, and more progressive environment within IBA, one that reflects the values we strive to uphold across the global boxing community.

On behalf of the entire International Boxing Association, we extend our sincere thanks to all the women of IBA for their dedication, professionalism, and continued commitment to excellence. Your work inspires progress and helps shape a brighter future for our organisation and our sport.

Happy International Women’s Day!

Courtesy iba.com

▪️Only eight African countries are taking part in the weeklong event which is a qualifier for the Youth Olympics in Dakar later in the year.

March 7, 2026

Kenya’s Phelix Ochieng and four Senegalese are among the 16 African boxers who will take to the ring on Day One of the World Futures U19 Boxing Tournament starting on Sunday, March 8, 2026, in Bangkok, Thailand.

Ochieng will battle it out with Kazakhstan’s Doszhan Zhuma Khan in the round of men’s lightweight division.

After the draw, Kenya’s Africa Youth Games bronze medallist Sonia Atieno received a bye to the quarter-finals, and will meet Morocco’s Aya Essoubai on March 13.

Ellah Demesi opens her account on March 10 against Canada’s Mehreen Khakh in the round of 32 women’s flyweight class while bantamweight Brian Arianda battles winner of the round of 64 bout between Turkey’s Muhammet Ali and Venezuela’s Wilmerson Gonzalez on March 11.

Available information in the drawsheets – yet to be confirmed by the organisers – shows only eight African countries have entered the Bangkok tournament.

They are Senegal, Kenya, Botswana, Equatorial Guinea, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt and Libya.

The 16 African boxers in action on Sunday, March 8, 2026. Bangkok is four hours ahead of East African time.

Round of 64 51 kg female
Senegal’s Aminata Sy vs Vietnam’s Thi Thuy Nhi Le

Round of 32 54kg female
Algeria’s Seya El Naev vs Australia’s Belle Spicer

Round of 64 50kg men
Algeria’s Riadh Belhaidouache vs Romania’s Ionut Madalin

Round 32 54kg female
Senegal’s Khadija Boiro vs Germany’s Lorin Sayim

Morocco’s Manar Adnane vs Columbia’s Evelin Trejos

Round 64 50kg male
Morocco’s Mustapha Berhili vs Canada’s in
Memphis McIntosh

Round 64 60kg male
Senegal’s Pape Maguette Yode vs Morocco’s Youssef Hlaila

Egypt’s Adham El Sharkawy vs Armenia’s Karen Zhakaryan

Algeria’s Abderraouf Redouani vs Thailand’s Siwa Chinarong

Round 64 men 70kg
Senegal’s Saliou Diop vs Thailand’s Ananda Kingphanao

Round 64 men 60kg
Kenya’s Phelix Ochieng vs Kazakhstan’s Doszhan Zhuma Khan

Equatorial Guinea’s Misael Andeke vs Turkeys Alparslan Civelek

Libya’s Tarik Abu Zead vs Canada’s Jayden Willis

Round 64 men 70kg
Morocco’s Marouane Jaafri vs Mexico’s Jorge Nieblas
Libya’s Jihad Mohammed vs Indonesia’s Victor Wenkang

▪️The West Africans will be represented by 15 boxers in Bangkok, the largest team from Africa

▪️The million dollar question: Is exposure alone a key factor in a boxer’s success at the big stage or natural ability provided the boxer is mentally and physically prepared to face the best in the world?

March 7, 2026

As hosts of the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal’s U19 boxing team faces a significant challenge at the World Boxing Futures Cup in Bangkok (March 8–15, 2026), a key qualifying event.

Despite home-soil expectations and emerging local talent, the team must overcome tough international competition and limited elite experience compared to global opponents in Bangkok.

Senegal, represented by 15 boxers – seven women and eight men – in Bangkok, must rise up to the challenge and have at least seven boxers in Dakar.

Coaches are scratching their heads on various possibilities: what if none of the boxers qualifies, or only one or two makes it to the Youth Olympics? To their avid fans back home that’s an unacceptable but it can happen.

The Futures Cup is a critical pathway for the U19 team to secure slots for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

African boxers often face difficulties due to a lack of international exposure compared to opponents who may have significantly higher fight records.

As the host nation, Senegal’s team faces pressure to deliver strong performances.

Their success in Bangkok is crucial for building momentum for the first Olympic event on the African continent.

That said, one million dollar question remains: is exposure alone a key factor in the success of a boxer?

Ring analysts argue while exposure and modern facilities are crucial to condition a boxer to excel at the international level, a boxer’s ring IQ and natural potential is key to his/her success provided he or is mentally and physically prepared for the big stage.

We have seen some boxers exposed to all major competitions but still fail to make an impression, and others succeed with no exposure at all.

For instance, Uganda’s most decorated boxer Ayub Kayule and his Kenyan neighbours Steve Muchoki, Ibrahim Bilali and George Oduori did wonders with no exposure and modern facilities.

Kalule made his international debut in the 1973 African Games in Lagos and won a bronze medal. At the same Games, unknown George Oduori from Kariobangi’s Bangladesh Boxing Club win featherweight gold shocking the more experienced Nigerian Eddie Ndukwu in the finals. Yet Oduori trained in a gym with only one punch bag and sparring on the floor not in a ring.

Kalule, without any meaningful exposure and training in a gym with just a punch bag and skipping rope, he defied all odds to win the 1974 world title in Havana, Cuba, and Commonwealth Games gold in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Muchoki represented Kenya for the first time in November, 1973. The following year in January he captured light-flyweight gold in the Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, New Zealand upsetting 1970 Commonwealth Games champion James Odwori of Uganda in the finals.

Bilali debuted for Kenya in 1981, and without any form of exposure the following year he won King’s Cup and Commonwealth gold medals. Both Muchoki and Bilali are products of the famous Dallas Boxing Club in Muthurwa Estate. Like Oduori, they just had a punch bag in their gym and sparring was on the floor.

boxersworld.co.ke

▪️The four boxers from the East African boxing giant have said they’ll emulate the legends who made Kenya proud during the famous King’s Cup held annually in Bangok
▪️”I’ve told Sonia to bring back a gold medal if not she’ll not enter Kisumu,” says Ashley Akinyi, Sonia’s big sister.

March 7, 2026

Kenya’s team of four boxers has landed in Bangkok for World Futures U19 Boxing Tournament promising to carry the fight to their opponents.

“Hatucheki na mtu tuko hapa kwa vita, watajua hawajui (We’re here for war it’s not comedy they’ll know who we are),” said a confident captain Sonia Atieno immediately on arrival in Bangok . Sonia will fight in 65kg category.

“We will be very aggressive in the ring and hit them hard,” the 16-year-old Grade 10 student at Lions High School in Kisumu told boxersworld.co.ke

Sonia, the third born in a family of four, stays in Nyalenda Estate with her mum Pauline Auma, big sister Ashley Akinyi, and brothers Shakes Ouma and Robert Bruce Ofena.

Ashley, the first born, has given Sonia tough conditions.

“If you don’t bring gold don’t come back to Kisumu stay there, fight as if your entire life depends on this competition,” Ashley told her sister before departure to Bangkok, Thailand, for the World Futures U19 Cup tournament starting on Sunday, March 8, 2026.

Sonia won a bronze medal at lightweight in her international debut during the 2025 Africa Youth Games in Angola. She was to represent Kenya at the inaugural African School Games in Algeria but she had no opponent.

Sonia is now the darling of Nyalenda Estate residents, a predominantly informal, densely populated settlement on the southern outskirts of Kisumu City, established near the Kenya-Uganda railway.
It’s a low-income residential hub facing challenges with drainage, flood management, drug abuse among the youth, early pregnancies and waste disposal.

Boxing has helped to keep Sonia away from the challenges facing the youth in Nyalenda slums.

“Some of my friends regret why they didn’t join me in boxing, they engaged in anti-social behaviour and wasted themselves,” said Sonia, a member of Korumba Delta Boxing Club led by chairman Simon Wasuna who has witnessed a big interest in boxing among the youth in Nyalenda following Sonia’s exploits in the ring.

“Young boys and girls are now taking up boxing to emulate Sonia Atieno,” said Wasuna.

At only 16 years of age, Sonia is also one of the family’s bread winners assisting her single mum Pauline with the allowance she earns in foreign trips.

“Life is so hard in Nyalenda, I’m happy my daughter Sonia assists me with whatever she earns in boxing,” said Pauline, affectionately known as Mama Champ in Nyalenda.

“We’re praying to God she performs well in Bangkok we believe in her she’s a very good boxer.”

In addition to Sonia, other members of Kenya’s team are flyweight Ellah Demesi, bantamweight Brian Arianda and lightweight Phelix Ochieng.

Head coach Musa Benjamin once again thanked the Kenya government for funding their trip to Bangkok.

“The Sports Ministry has been very supportive to BFK, we’re happy through them Kenya is participating in this important tournament,” said Musa.

The Bangkok event is a qualifier for the Youth Olympic Games to be held in Dakar, Senegal from October 31-November 13, 2026. It’s the first ever Olympics to be staged in Africa.

The 39-year-old hopes to use the bout to secure a path to the Commonwealth belt

07/03/2026

Okwiri, who has a 12-1-1 record, will seek to extend his recent run of six bouts without defeat, when he steps into the ring against the 26-year-old Shoti, whose record stands at 9-1-0.

There was expectation that Okwiri, following his third-round dismantling over Uganda’s Muhamad Sebyala last November, was going to catapult himself into a potential Commonwealth Boxing Council (CBC) title fight against George Liddard, only for the Englishman to settle for a defense against former European champion Tyler Denny at the Copper Box in London later this month.

It is therefore thought that a go at the WBC Africa belt will present a decent opportunity to cracking the code later this year, with the latest opportunity poised to usurp the appeal of a WBC silver pathway, which was also in the cards for Okwiri to explore.

Shoti, who made his pro debut in 2023, last fought in November last year to claim the vacant IBO International middleweight title against Daniel Buciuc in Romania.

Also on the yet-to-be-announced six-bout card, will be appearances from Kenyans Martin Achebi, Morris ‘Maketho’ Okolla, and Dennis Okoth.

Achebi and East and Central African heavyweight champion Okolla recently featured in Kalakoda Promotions’ “Nightmare in Nairobi II” card late last month, all claiming comfortable wins over Alan Kwendo and Hudson Muhumuza respectively.

Courtesy www.mozzartsport.co.ke

Lausanne, 6th March, 2026:

The International Boxing Association (IBA) has confirmed that the IBA Asia U23 and Youth Championships, scheduled to take place in Jakarta, Indonesia, will be postponed due to the current and evolving situation in the Middle East.

Following careful assessment of the prevailing circumstances, the IBA has taken this decision in order to prioritise the safety, security, and well‑being of athletes, officials, and member federations. Athlete welfare and participant safety remain the organisation’s absolute and non‑negotiable priority.

While preparations for the championships in Jakarta had been progressing positively in close cooperation with the local organisers and IBA Asia, the IBA considers it essential to act responsibly in light of the broader regional uncertainty. Ensuring safe travel, accommodation, and competition conditions for all participants is a fundamental obligation of the organisation.

“The safety of our athletes and member federations is our absolute priority,” said Chris Roberts OBE, IBA Secretary General & CEO. “In light of the current situation in the Middle East, we have taken the decision to postpone the IBA Asia U23 and Youth Championships in Jakarta. We will continue to closely monitor developments and will identify a suitable future date once conditions allow.”

The IBA remains in close contact with IBA Asia, the local organising committee, and relevant stakeholders, and will continue to assess the situation as it evolves. Options for rescheduling the championships will be explored in the coming weeks, subject to stability and safety considerations.

All member federations, athletes, and stakeholders will be kept fully informed, with further updates regarding revised dates and logistical arrangements to be communicated in a timely and transparent manner.

About the International Boxing Association (IBA)

The International Boxing Association (IBA) is the world governing body for boxing, committed to the global development of the sport while upholding the highest standards of safety, integrity, fairness, and good governance. IBA organises international competitions, supports national federations, and works to protect and empower athletes at all levels of boxing.

Courtesy of iba.com