▪️”I just slipped then the referee gave me a count for nothing after which he spoke to me Portuguese and stopped the fight,” says Ella Demesi
▪️Sonia Atieno attributes her defeat to lack of power because she slashed 4 kgs to make the lightweight category
▪️”I just don’t know why I suddenly ran out of gas towards end of round two and three,” recalls Felix Ochieng who says chicken was his number one enemy on the menu
▪️Clinton Omondi hailed new Kenyan cap Paul Omondi for his hard sparring and inspiring them at Kibra Youth Club
20/12/2025
Kenyan teenage boxers have cited language barrier with referees, humid weather condition and poorly prepared food as some of the challenges they encountered in the African Youth Games in Luanda, Angola.
In a lively telephone interview with boxersworld.co.ke from Luanda, the charming and talkative Kenyan youth radiated an aura of confidence and inner satisfaction on their performance, all of them making their international debut.
Kenya placed eighth overall with two bronze medals from grade 8 pupil at Mbagathi Road Primary Clinton Omondi and Kisumu’s rising giant Sonia Atieno. DR Congo topped the medal chart followed by Algeria, Nigeria, Angola and Tunisia.
The 15-year-old Omondi eliminated Namibia’s Kalenga Leevi in the quarter-finals and lost to DR Congo’s Bofenda Mabela in the flyweight semi-finals.
“The semis game was okay against the DR Congo boxer, he’s not a good boxer but he was just too strong,” Omondi said.
“Niliona wanauzia watu uoga lakini sikushtuka vile, nilifungua war noma naye,” Omondi told boxersworld.co.ke in our interview that the DR Congo boxer tried to scare him but he stood firm and engaged him in a toe-to-toe encounter won by Mabela 2-1.
“I suspected he was not my age, on realising he was a strong puncher in round one, I decided to move scoring with several blows in the second and third round.
“He was scoring with one or two punches so maybe the judges gave him the fight because of throwing heavier punches, I feel this wrong a punch is a punch so long as it has hit the target.”
Against the taller Namibian boxer, Omondi said he decided to keep him close and cutting the ring to ensure he’s close to him and won on points.
“I thank our inspiration Paul Omondi for the different tactics he has taught me and the hard sparring I do with him,” said Omondi eyeing a job at Kenya Defence Forces after completing school. Paul Omondi, Africa Zone 3 bronze medallist, fought his way to the pre-quarters in the recent Men’s World Championships in Dubai.
Nyalenda-based Korumba Boxing Club member Sonia Atieno oozed confidence and hopes for a bright future in the ring despite losing in the semi-finals to Tunisia’s Alma Zaara.
“This is just the start of my rise to the top, I feel good but not satisfied with my result, I wanted gold not bronze,” said the 16-year-old grade 9 pupil at Central School in Kisumu Atieno, attributing her loss to slashing four kilograms in one day to make lightweight category from light-welterweight.
“I had no power because of reducing weight, I’m more comfortable in light-welterweight, Imagine I slept on three apples only without drinking water on the eve of my fight with the Tunisian,” explained the talented Atieno who is the reigning national novices and intermediate champion.
“If I boxed in my usual weight I would have KO’d all of them, I will hopefully meet my Tunisian opponent in the African Youth Olympics in 2026 and beat her.
“She’s a big hitter and tried her body punches on me but realised I was fitter than she expected because they were not affecting me.”
Commenting on the language barrier, Atieno said it was a big challenge to many boxers because they were using Portuguese.
“Most of the refs were from Angola, they really confused boxers speaking to them in Portuguese we don’t understand.
“A DR Congo coach created a scene when his boxer’s victory was stolen against Angolan opponent, Police had to intervene to cool down the situation, it was bad.”
Atieno’s burning ambition is to become Kenya’s first female world champion in amateur boxing and work for the Kenya Police.
“If I join Police I will also enroll at the University to study law.”
Flyweight Ella Demesi was so annoyed by the referee’s decision to stop her bout in the first round for no reason against Tunisia’s Oueslatim Tashmin.
“I just slipped to the canvas, no punch hit me then he counted, spoke to me in Portuguese I don’t understand and stopped the fight,” said the 16-year-old Demesi, a grade 9 student at Raila Educational Centre in Kibra.
“I will start learning some foreign languages to avoid what happened,” said Demesi whose aim is to win an Olympic medal and join KDF where she wants to work as a nurse. She stays at Mashimoni slums with her parents.
Demesi, Clinton Omondi and featherweight Felix Ochieng are all members of Kibra Youth Boxing Club. Ochieng lost on points in the quarter-finals to DR Congo’s Mambu Mambone.
“I ran out of gas towards the end of round two and three, I don’t know why because I trained well maybe it’s because of the heat, it was too much,” said Ochieng, unimpressed by the food in Angola.
“The food was tasteless, we mostly ate rice, chicken, smoky and eggs for breakfast,” said Ochieng, adding:”I avoided chicken, it’s not like ours here so I ate rice alone.” The 16-year-old Ochieng is a grade 9 pupil at Mbagathi Road Primary, the same school with teammate Clinton Omondi. They all have a lot of respect for World Championships pre-quarterfinalist Paul Omondi who was also a member of the club but has now joined the Kenya Police.
