Nairobi City win Robert Wangila Memorial Cup tournament but Ugandans display more skillful boxing than their hosts
Africa Military Games light-flyweight silver medallist Veronica Mbithe moved up to bantamweight and met her match in African Games bronze medallist Amina Martha who stopped the KDF Corporal in the first round of the Robert Wangila Memorial Cup Tournament finals on Thursday, September 4, at the Uhuru Sports Complex open ground.
And Nairobi’s B team international heavyweight Peter Abuti demolished Uganda’s Jonathan Galiwange with a ruthless KO in the first round to sound a warning to his rivals ahead of the third leg of the Kenya National Boxing League at Nakuru’s Madison Square Garden from September 18-20.
Abuti’s snapping right punch exploded on the chin of Galiwange sending him crashing to the canvas for a count of ten by referee Nelson Otieno. Unable to carry himself on his disobedient legs, the Ugandan was escorted back to his corner by the Star-3 referee Otieno.
“I’m going back to my weight,” declared charming Mbithe after seeing stars in the bantamweight division fight against Amina Martha Faki.
As if to show Mbithe that’s her territory, Martha floored her opponent with a heavy right punch to the jaw in the first round.
A groggy Mbithe pulled herself up as referee Flora “Mzito” Wambui gave her a mandatory standing count. Seemingly in darkness, Mbithe didn’t put up her guard leaning at the neutral corner with both hands on the ropes, an indication she had lost the appetite to fight on. The result was an abandonment in favour of Martha who is still unbeaten locally since last year.
“I was just trying bantamweight since I just trained for a few days but I’m going back to light-flyweight, bantamweight noma mazee nimeona stars,” she told me after the fight.
Africa Military Games welterweight champion, Frizer Anyango, representing Nairobi B, for the first time fought at light-middleweight stopping Nairobi A team’s Sally Anjema in one minute 36 seconds of the first round.
While most of Nairobi boxers appeared to favour punching the head with random punches, the Ugandans launched their attacks from the body, moving upstairs and tactically bullied the Nairobians into dancing to their tune. The visitors were also technically superior than Nairobi which was represented by two teams, A and B.
They’ll have to work on body punches which is normally an easier target to collect points than the head.
Kampala City’s African Games featherweight bronze medallist Kassim Murungi turned Nairobi’s Paul Omondi into a speedball, punching him at will with well-timed face and body blows enroute to a unanimous points victory.
Nairobi’s light-heavyweight Humphrey “Jakababa” Ochieng failed to use his longer reach effectively against Kampala’s southpaw Richard Kasujja who won by a unanimous decision.
“I hit his body hard and heard him make some noise and I knew how to handle him,” Kasujja told boxersworld.co.ke.
“The Kenyan boxers rely on power a lot but have no skills,” said Kasujja, a welder by profession.
A former Posta boxer in Kenya, Hassan Khalili, now coaching youngsters at his East Coast Club in Kampala, was one of the coaches in Nairobi together with his daughter Shakira Mohammed Mukungu and Kalyango Lawrence.
Kalyango said Uganda is definitely coming for the Africa Zone 3 Championships scheduled for October 15-25 in Nairobi.
“We can’t miss such an important tournament being hosted by our neighbours, it’s good exposure for our boxers,” said Kalyango.
Nairobi City won the three-day event with 30 points with Kampala collecting 24 points.
Reigning Africa light-middleweight champion Boniface “The Hammer” Mogunde was declared the Best Boxer while Kampala’s lightweight Zahra Nandaula was the women’s Best Boxer.
ROBERT WANGILA MEMORIAL CUP FINAL RESULTS
Minimum: 48kgs
🟥 Grace Atieno NBI-A 3
🟦 Nakawoza Rashida KAMPALA 0
Fly: 50Kgs
🟥 Lencer Atieno NBI-B 2
🟦 Faith Nafuna NBI-A 1
Fly 51Kgs
🟥 Emmanuel Chondo NBI-A 0
🟦 Tumusiime Innocent KMPL 3
Bantam: 54Kgs
🟥 Moses Kimera KMPLA 3
🟦 Nsubuka Samuel KMPL 0
Feather: 57kgs
🟥 Paul Omondi NBI-B 1
🟦 Murungi Kassim KMPL 2
Ladies Light: 60kgs
🟥 Silvia Ombwamu NBI-A 1
🟦 Zahra Nandaula KMPLA 2
Light Welter : 63.5 Kgs
🟥 Wiseman Kavondo NBI-A 1
🟦 Ethan Maina NBI-B 2
Welter 67Kgs
🟥 Mahammed Ali NBI-A KO
🟦 Bate Nuhu KMPLA
Ladies Light Middle:71kgs
🟥 Sally Anjema NBI-A RSC-I
🟦 Frizzq Asiko NBI-B
Light Heavy: 80kgs
🟥 Humphrey Ochieng NBI-B 1
🟦 Richard Kaujja KMPL 2
Ladies Bantam
🟥 Amina Martha NBI-B
🟦 Veronica Mbithe NBI-A ABD
Cruiser: 86Kgs
🟥 Glenstone Agade NBI-A RSC-1
🟦 Chris Ochanda NBI-B
Heavy: 92Kgs
🟥 Peter Abuti NBI-B
🟦 Jonathan Galiwange KMPLA KO
Super Heavy:92+kgs
🟥 John Oyugi NBI-A 0
🟦 Abubakar Hakeem NBI-B 3
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