🥊 NENEZ BOXING ARCHIVE: KENYA’S TOP AND UPCOMING BOXERS ENGAGE IN FIERCE BATTLE FOR AUCKLAND 1990
▪️Athanus Nzau wins in final trials but he’s not selected for the New Zealand journey
On November 29, 1989 the Amateur Boxing Association of Kenya (ABA) organised what they said were the final deciding Commonwealth Games trials at City Hall.
Yet similar trials had taken place between October 19-21 at Police Pavillion in Nairobi South C after which 22 boxers were selected for residential training in preparation for the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand.
So why did the ABA decide to hold the City Hall trials?
In my subsequent interviews with various ABA executive committee members including the head coach Peter Mwarangu, they said they were still not satisfied by the performanc of some boxers, and therefore the City Hall trials – the fourth ones – had to take place to ensure they took the best boxers to Auckland.
More boxers who didn’t take part in the Police Pavillion trials were called up for the November 29 showdown. They included Charles Ojuang of Police, KPA’s Solomon Adolwa, Boniface “Hitman” Odhiambo and David “Sugu” Oketch both of Prisons.
Lightweight Ojuang impressed the ABA selectors when Police took on Canada in March at City Hall during which he beat Bill Irwin while Odhiambo, the reigning Kenya Open champion, Adolwa and Oketch were included because of their consistency.
Odhiambo and Adolwa moved up to welterweight to face experienced Kenya Open champion Ali “Ojukwu” Athumani who made his international debut in 1976.
Mwarangu told me he wants Ojuang to try his luck against giant killer Nasser “Silencer” Athumani and Athanus Nzau. Nasser and elder brother Yahya “Chuchu” Mwami joined Breweries a few days before the October trials with Nasser causing a major upset by defeating longest-serving international then Patrick “Mont” Waweru. It was the first defeat locally for Waweru since losing to Hussein “Juba” Khalili in 1982. Khalili, now in Uganda managing his club East Coast, was by then campaigning as a semi-pro in Denmark.
Mwarangu was not particularly satisfied by the standards of Kenya Open light-flyweight champion Abdurahman Ramadhan and Stephen Kamau of Armed Forces. He also wanted KCC’s bantamweight Bernard “Stopper” Njuguna, who beat soldier Kimani Mungai in the South C trials, to prove himself against Posta’s southpaw Geoffrey “Ringbarrier” Maina. Ramadhan had outpointed Talib “Tanker” Mubiru in the previous trials.
Geoffrey Maina, KPA’s heavyweight Steve Ouma, light-heavy James Dula of Police and light-flyweight Stephen Kamau were included in the team after the South C trials despite not having taken part while six losing finalists, Mohammed Orungi, Talib Mubiru, George Opiyo who lost controversially to Maurice “Kawata” Maina, Yahya Mwami, Athanus Nzau and Dan Omwaka were brought on board.
Flyweight Opiyo was finally left out of the team for failing to report for residential training at Camp David in Ruaraka. It’s understood his employers Kenya Railways were annoyed by his decision to fight for KCC and therefore refused to release him to join the Hit Squad.
The stage was now set for the City Hall trials which some ring analysts said were just a mere formality but Mwarangu said they were doing a thorough job to get the best.
A packed City Hall watched some entertaining and fiercely fought bouts with most of the winners in the third trials at Police Pavillion maintaining their domination.
The two major upsets were in the flyweight division in which African Games champion Maurice Maina lost to Talib Mubiru in the flyweight division and Samuel Ang’ogo outpointing his Posta clubmate Chris Odera at super heavy.
In the opening light-flyweight bout, Abdulrahman Ramadhan beat Stephen Kamau, bantamweight Geoffrey Maina outpointing Bernard Njuguna, David Gakuha again defeating Yahya Mwami at feather with smart body puncher Athanus Nzau having an edge over Charles Ojuang. A bout of malaria knocked Nasser out of the trials.
Sensational Nick Odore maintained his domination over Dan Omwaka. At welter Boniface Odhiambo eliminated Solomon Adolwa but found the going rough against battle-hardened points winner Ali Athumani.
New kid on the block Omar Kasongo once again defeated his cousin Mohammed Orungi in the light-middleweight berth, Orungi retiring in the second round following a left shoulder injury.
Light-heavyweight James Dula beat Steve Ouma and then lost to Joseph Akhasamba who KO’d him in round one. James was the younger brother to 1973 African Games gold medallist Peter Dula with heavyweight George “Foreman” Onyango stopping David Oketch in round two while super heavyweight SamueI Ang’ogo scored a surprising points victory over Chris “Marciano” Odera.
Twelve boxers were selected after the trials with Abdulrahman Ramadhan and Charles Ojuang picked as sparring partners.
Selected for the Auckland trip were light-flyweight Talib Mubiru, flyweight and captain Maurice Maina, bantamweight Geoffrey Maina, featherweight David Gakuha, lightweight Nasser Athumani, light welter Nick Odore, welterweight Ali Athumani, light-middleweight Omar Ahmed, middleweight Charles Waithaka, light-heavy Joseph Akhasamba, heavy George “Foreman” Onyango and super heavy Samuel Ang’ogo.
As expected, Mwarangu, appointed the national coach in May, and Charles Anjimbi were picked as coaches assisted by trainers Patrick “Mad” Okoth and Charles Longisa but the two would not travel to Auckland.
In a build-up match against Uganda in December, the Auckland-bound team beat their rivals 9-3 bouts at City Hall. Making his international debut, light-flyweight Talib Mubiru was KO’d by Justin Juuko in one minute 45sec of the second round. The 18-year-old Juuko, also making his debut, was one of the two newcomers in the Uganda team. He has just completed his “O” levels education at Kako Secondary School.
Did all the 12 Kenyan boxers selected make it to Auckland? That will be known in the next part of this story.
