▪️Gallant Kenyan boxers hammer Nigeria 9-2 bouts in a Jamhuri Day celebrations match
May 27, 2026
The highly anticipated return leg match between Kenya and Nigeria in 1971 was packed to capacity at City Hall. Charges were Ksh5, 10/-, 15/- and 20/- .
I was among the fans who witnessed this exciting Jamhuri Day celebrations match. The boxing bug had already caught up with me. So my dad, a staunch boxing fan, had no choice but to take me along for the show. We watched the action from the balcony of the packed City Hall.
Nigeria defeated Kenya 7-4 bouts in the first leg contest in Lagos. The Kenyans were armed to the teeth for the return match, eager to avenge the Lagos defeat.
Back in the team was 1970 Commonwealth Games welterweight silver medallist John Olulu who clinched the Kenya Open title at the YMCA, Shauri Moyo Gym ahead of the Kenya vs Nigeria contest. Olulu beat the tough Airforce soldier Joseph Onyango in the finals.
Most of the boxers who represented Kenya in Lagos skipped the Kenya Open with an exception of flyweight Peter Munyogi, light-heavy Steve Thega and heavyweight Zack Amalemba. Munyogi outpointed George Findo in the finals, Thega beat Henry Muchorwa and Amalemba lost to his rival Fred “Sachi” Sabat.
Newly-crowned national lightweight champion Karilus Owino,
who was named the Best Boxer in the Kenya Open, replaced the injured Kamau Mbugua while Olulu stepped in for Stephen Baraza whose cut sustained in Lagos had not yet healed.
The Kenyans camped at the Prisons Staff Training College Gymnasium under coach Sammy Ouma.
Nigeria also made slight changes, bringing in warhorse Kayin Armah for 1966 Commonwealth Games and Africa bantamweight champion Eddie Ndukwu at featherweight and 1966 Africa light-heavyweight champion and 1970 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Fatai Ayinla to face heavyweight Fred Sabat with Armah pitted against the stylish John Nderu, a bronze medallist in the 1966 Commonwealth Games. Armah met Kenya’s legendary Philip Waruinge in the 1966 Africa Championships in Lagos, giving Waruinge some anxious moments but the Kenyan prevailed with a unanimous points victory. Waruinge, who won gold and the Best Boxer Trophy, told me in one of our several interviews the Nigerian was the toughest boxer he fought in the Lagos event.
In addition to John Olulu, other top boxers in the Kenya team were 1970 Commonwealth Games bantamweight silver medallist Sammy Mbogwa, Commonwealth Games bronze medallist David Attan and Steve Thega, a dreaded body puncher.
Kenya taught Nigeria painful boxing lessons, winning by 9-2 bouts and an aggregate of 35-31 points in the two-legged match. It was total massacre.
The Kenyans started forcefully, winning the first four bouts through light-flyweight Peter Kangethe, flyweight Peter Munyogi, bantamweight Sammy Mbogwa and featherweight John Nderu.
Kangethe put up a masterclass show to outpoint Saliou Ishola for the second time having beaten the Nigerian in Lagos. He was named the Best Boxer.
Southpaw Munyogi avenged the Lagos defeat by Quarsi Martins, dictating the fight in the first and second rounds. Martins made a late rally in the third round but by then a tired Munyogi, who received an eight count, had done enough spadework to win on points.
Mbogwa dominated the bantamweight bout for his second consecutive win over Monday Addis while John Nderu outpointed Kayin Armah.
Nigeria finally won their first fight of the night when their dangerman lightweight Obisia Nwankpa floored debutant Karilus Owino twice and then the towel came flying in. Owino carried the fight to the southpaw Nwankpa soon after bell with rapid combinations that it seemed Nwankpa had met his match. He however changed the tide midway through the first round landing good left shots forcing the referee to give Owino an eight standing count. He floored the Kenyan twice before coach Sammy Ouma threw in the towel to save Owino from Nwankpa’s ruthless fists.
John Olulu put Kenya back on the winning trail outpointing Carl Bobo in an action-packed light-welterweight bout.
Welterweight soldier Dick “Tiger” Murunga avenged the Lagos defeat by Joe Mensah who made one trip to the canvas in the second round, courtesy of Murunga’s heavy left punch to the chin. It was the second international fight for Murunga who made his debut in the first leg, and from his impressive show he won the hearts of fans and the selectors. The following year Murunga won gold in the Africa Championships in Nairobi and a bronze medal in the Munich Olympics.
Skipper David Attan punished Vincent Igbokuru throughout the fight to win the light-middleweight duel on points while at middleweight Frank Theuri outpointed M.Hassan.
Light-heavyweight Steve Thega maintained his sterling performance he displayed in Lagos where the bow-legged Kenyan beat the highly regarded Isaac Ikhuoria. This time Emmanuel Duke dropped down to light-heavy after stopping Kenya’s Zack Amalemba in Lagos in the heavyweight division.
The first round saw the Kenyan digging deep with a short uppercut to Duke’s solar plexus dropping him to the canvas. Thega upped his workrate in the second round in which the Nigerian got a standing count of eight after which Thega again dug in with another right punch to the solar plexus that forced the referee to stop the fight to avoid a possible disaster.
In an interview with Thega at Biafra Estate in Nairobi before he passed on, he told me he really felt sorry for some of his opponents whom he said urinated blood after fighting him as a result of his energy-sapping body punches. He remains Kenya’s most lethal body puncher.
Nigeria notched their second win through heavyweight Fatai Ayinla who easily stopped Fred Sabat in the first round. The Kenyan was warned by the referee for persistent holding.
Battered and bruised, the Nigerians quietly returned home looking ahead to the 1972 Africa Championships in Nairobi.
