Ever since Isaac Mejah got involved with boxing in 2001 at St John’s Boxing Club in Korogocho, he had never been knocked out.
Under the tutelage of the late coach James Odongo, Mejah – a natural southpaw – learnt the ropes fast. In 2008, Odongo introduced him to the current national team head coach Benjamin Musa who further sharpened his boxing knowledge at St.
Teresa’s Undugu.
Armed with new skills imparted by coach Musa at Undugu, Mejah showed his mettle by winning the national novices and intermediate titles in 2010, clinching the Best Boxer Award in both tournaments.
On his way up until he made his international debut in the 2010 World Youth Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, and took part in the 2011 Youth Commonwealth Games in the United Kingdom, Mejah avoided KO defeat like a plague.
But in the 2024 Kenya Open Boxing Championships at Green Park Hall, Mejah was for the first time KO’d in round one by the big-hitting Mwinyi Kombo from Kenya’s port city of Mombasa.
“I lost my concentration for a moment and then he went in with a left hook straight to my chin that sent me to the canvas,” recalls Mejah.
“It was such a painful defeat losing by a KO but I accepted it and moved on, infact I took it as a lesson.”
After the KO defeat, Mejah returned to the ring in the first leg of the league winning all his fights minus his close challengers.
He then took a break to concentrate on his work at KDF, and now he has decided to return to the ring to redeem himself in the Kenya Open.
“I’m going to do my best to reclaim my glory,” says Meja, and is not overly worried of his main challengers Kombo and Nairobi’s Chris Juma.
“I know their styles already, I’m going to use a different strategy and my experience too to ensure that I come out victorious”
He is however not taking his opponents lightly.
“I respect each and every pugilist, and the efforts they put to be where they are right now. Its not an easy thing to participate in the biggest tournament in the country. I know they are well prepared and so am I. But they should just be prepared for a different Mejah.”
Kombo has been training at One80 Fitness Centre at Tudor in Mombasa ahead of his title defence. He defeated Chris Juma in the finals of the 2024 Kenya Open.
On their way to the finals, they both caused major upsets.
Besides seeing off Mejah, Kombo scored a shocking first round KO victory over 2022 Africa Championships silver medallist Samuel Njau of KDF while the 17-year-old Chris, a form two student at Mwiki Secondary at the time, beat the 2019 African Games silver medallist Shaffi Bakari of the Kenya Police.
With Shaffi going back to bantamweight – he has not made an impact at featherweight – and KDF soldier Njau busy at work, the battle for major honours in the featherweight division in the Kenya Open is a three-horse race between Mejah, Kombo and Juma.
On whether Mejah and Juma are a threat to him, Kombo doesn’t rate them highly.
“To be honest, both of them are not worrying me, and are not that tough for my level. I’ll handle them,” says Kombo, adding: “What matters most is my performance to come out the best against any opposition.”
Chris Juma is not convinced Kombo defeated him in last year’s Kenya Open finals.
“What I know I boxed better than him and inwardly I take myself as the winner, he didn’t beat me,” says the Kasarani Youth boxer who turns 18 years in September this year.
Among the three, Mejah is the longest-serving with more experience, and if he can also capitalise on his southpaw stance and the knowledgeable coaches at his disposal, the KDF Corporal is capable of having the last laugh.
At 34 years, Meja says he will continue fighting until he is 40 years, the official retirement age for amateur boxers.
“I’m addicted to boxing, it’s not easy to quit now and I’m still strong,” says Mejah whose father, David Oduor, is the one who introduced him to boxing at the age of 10 years.
“I used to play basketball but one day my dad told me to switch to boxing and introduced me to coach James Odongo.”
Mejah did not disappoint his father. In addition to winning the novices and intermediate titles as well as being named the Best Boxer in the two tournaments in the flyweight division, he was also adjudged the Best Boxer in the 2010 Nairobi Open and won gold in the 2010 Inter-Cities clash between Nairobi and Kampala at the latters backyard. He also represented Kenya in the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games.
In 2014, Mejah’s impressive show in boxing landed him a job at KDF.
“That’s something to be proud of, I’m now working really hard to move up the ladder at my place of work,” says Mejah who attributes his success to coach Musa Benjamin and the pool of coaches he met at KDF when he joined the Army among them Sammy Magima.
“I owe my success in the ring to coach Musa Benjamin, I gained a lot of skills from him,” says Mejah who hails from Siaya County.
“Musa was not just my coach but he was my guardian too because when my father shifted to Kisumu, it’s Musa who used to pay my rent and help me with bus fare to attend training sessions at Undugu.”
Mejah has yet to stamp his authority at the senior level though a couple of controversial decisions, he says, have derailed his progress but he is confident the best is yet to come.
He made his international debut for the senior national team in the 2022 Zone Three Championships in Kinshasa, DR Congo but did not win a medal.
He is looking forward to make it in Kenya’s team for this year’s World Championships, Commonwealth Games and qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
