▪️A total of 28 African boxers will step through the ropes in Day Three of IBA World Championships as Tanzania’s two boxers are time-barrred for weigh-in
Zambia’s polished lightweight southpaw Andrew Chilata has qualified to the last 16 of the Dubai World Championships without throwing a punch.
Breaking the good news, Zambia’s Boxing Federation President Boniface Sokoni told boxersworld.co.ke that Chilata’s opponent did not show up during the weigh-in.
“That’s good for us, we believe this time Chilata will go past the quarter-finals” said a delighted Sokoni.
Chilata, his compatriot Patrick Chinyemba and Ghana’s Amadu Mohammed were the most impressive African boxers at the 2023 World Championships in Uzbekistan where they made it to the quarter finals.
Two Tanzania boxers Rashid Mrema and flyweight Juma Ranadhan have conceded walkovers to their opponents after arriving late for the weigh-in.
Contacted, the President of the Boxing Federation of Tanzania Lukelo Willilo absolved the boxers from blame.
“They just arrived today in Dubai because of visa problem I fail to understand why they were time-barrred,” said Willilo.
The only Tanzanian boxer in action today is Africa Zone 3 bantamweight bronze medallist Issa Faki who meets Sultan Alnuaimi of UAE.
Cape Verde’s Olympic flyweight bronze David Pina starts his campaign for the top $300,000 prize money at stake against Mongolia’s Gan-erdene Gankhuyag. Pina has moved up to bantamweight.
Pina and four Kenyan boxers lead Africa’s challenge tonight with a total of 28 African boxers in action.
The four Kenyan boxers are flyweight Kelvin Maina, bantamweight Shaffi Bakari, lightweight Washington Wandera and middleweight Edwin Okong’o.
The age-old rivalry between Kenya and Uganda will be revived when Wandera battles Uganda’s Fahad Mulindwa in the round of 32.
Shaffi meets tough top seed Rafael Serrano of Spain, Maina will face Kazakhstan’s stubborn Daniyal Sabit and Okong’o fights Israel’s Miroslav Ishchenko.
