BERTAL IN FINALS! AFRICA ASSURED OF SILVER OR GOLD
Morocco’s showboating two-time Africa bantamweight champion Widad Bertal danced her way to the finals of Women’s World Boxing Championships with a split points victory over Serbia’s 20-year-old European champion Sarah Cirkovic in the semi-finals on Friday, Match 14, in Nis, Serbia.
An ecstatic and emotional Bertal jumped up in joy punching the air to celebrate the deserving victory.
The Moroccan Paris Olympian rallied back strongly in the third round feeding the Serbian with a cocktail of punches led by her probing jab.
With that victory, Bertal becomes the second Moroccan female boxer to punch her way to the finals of the World Championships after the charismatic world heavyweight champion Khadija Mardi.
She’s also assured of pocketing $25,000 for silver or $100,000 for a gold medal.
The Serbian bathed in her tears unable to believe she has missed the finals at home. She will console herself with $25,000 for semi- finalists.
A dejected Liz Andiego (left) can't just understand why the Estonian referee stopped her light-heavyweight quarter-final fight against China's Wang Xiaomeng.
ANDIEGO, MUSA BLAST ESTONIA REFEREE BUT PRAISE IBA FOR INSPIRING BOXERS
A furious Kenya’s head coach Musa Benjamin has expressed his disappointment on the referee’s unjustified decision to stop the fight.
Boiling with anger, Kenya’s national boxing team head coach Musa Benjamin and his boxer Liz Andiego have hit out at Estonia referee Moris Puhno for prematurely stopping the light-heavyweight quarter-final bout between the Kenyan and China’s Wang Xiaomeng in the ongoing Women’s World Boxing Championships in Nis, Serbia on Thursday, March 13, 2025.
While Musa said they accepted defeat in other bouts in true sportsmanship spirit, he feels the referee was not justified to stop Andiego’s bout in the second round because his boxer had not been hurt or staggered by Xiaomeng’s punches.
In a statement he sent to boxersworld.co.ke, Musa said:”It’s very painful. After putting in a lot of work, sacrifice and dedication then this!!
“The Chinese keeps holding then the referee warns Liz in the first round. She wrestles her but my boxer receives a caution.
“Constant unwarranted cautions disrupt a boxer’s (Liz’s) rhythm and concentration.
“For whatever reason, the corner monitor wasn’t working so no scores for first round hence no fight plan for round two.Terrible decision. It really hurts the entire team.”
Kenya’s deputy head coach David Munuhe and head coach Musa Benjamin (right) fuming over what they felt was unfair treatment to their boxer Liz Andiego.
A dejected Andiego has appealed to the International Boxing Association (IBA) to punish such wayward referees for messing up the good job they’re doing especially introducing prize money in their tournaments.
“As I entered the ring, I had high hopes I would win my fight, said Andiego, and went on: “I started smelling a rat when the referee started warning me unnecessarily for holding yet it was the Chinese who was the one holding me, it was so irritating as if psychologically he wanted to demoralise me.
“I believe I was winning then he decided to deduct me a point.
Coming to the second round, I was ready to fight till the end but the referee stopped the fight. Her punches were not even strong I didn’t feel them, that’s why I was disappointed why the count and suddenly ending the fight.
“This is big tournament, let the boxers fight till the last round to determine the winner fairly unless a boxer is beaten badly and can’t reply but our fight was balanced. I had a very effective plan for the third round but unfortunately I didn’t implement it, the fight was stopped, you can’t judge a fight by one single punch that catches a boxer, how many fighters get knocked down and still go on and to win the fight, this is so unfair and demoralising to us boxers, we spend a lot of time training then a referee who has probably not been a boxer does this to us, this is why some boxers give up to do other things, boxing is our passion.”
Andiego however hailed IBA for inspiring boxers through prize money in their tournaments, and urged the world’s boxing governing body to introduce more prize money tournaments in Africa.
“I have done a lot with the prize money I’ve received from IBA,” said Andiego and welcomed the introduction of $10,000 to the quarter-finalists.
“Despite losing I’m happy I will earn $10,000. Long live IBA and President Umar Kremlev, they’ve really changed our lives for the better, we boxers are very grateful. Kremlev is mindful of boxers’ welfare we love him so much for improving our lives.”
Morocco's Widad Bertal (left) put up a brilliant show to stop Vietnam's Vo Thi Kim Anh in the third round of their bantamweight quarter-final bout.
TWO AFRICAN BOXERS QUALIFY FOR SEMIS, SEVEN BOW OUT
Well done Bertal. You’ve done Africa proud with compatriot Hasnae Larti who’s also in the semis.
Morocco’s Olympic Games quarter-finalist Widad Bertal and compatriot Hasnae Larti sailed through to the semi-finals of Women’s World Boxing Championships on Thursday, March 13, 2025 in Nis, Serbia.
Bertal, two-time Africa champion and African Games bantamweight gold medallist stopped Vietnam’s Vo Thi Kim Anh in the third round while Africa light-heavyweight champion Larti outpointed Victoriya Kebikava from Belarus.
The semi-finals take place today, March 14. Top-seeded Bertal meets Serbia’s Sara Cirkovich with Larti taking on Russia’s light-heavyweight Saltanat Maldenova.
Seven other boxers from Africa failed to make it to the semi-finals. Here are their results:
Lightweight: Sierra Leone’s Josefien Betist lost 5-0 to Serbia’s European champion Natalia Shadrina.
Sierra Leone’s Josefien Betist (right) was modest in defeat against Serbia’s European lightweight champion Natalia Shadrina.
Light-heavyweight: Kenya’s Liz Andiego lost to China’s Wang Xiaomeng. Referee Moris Puhno from Estonia controversially stopped the bout in round two.
Nigeria’s African Games middleweight champion Patricia Mbata (left) lost to China’s Wang Lina.
Welterweight: Morocco’s Mounia Toutire beaten 5-0 by Uzbekistan’s Navbakhor Khamidova
Minimumweight: Morocco’s Rabab Cheddar lost 5-0 to Russia’s Iulia Chumgalakova
Flyweight: Morocco’s Imane El Azami beaten 5-0 by Uzbekistan’s Feruza Kazakova
Light-middleweight: Morocco’s Saida Lahmida lost 5-0 to Ireland’s 2022 world champion Lisa O’Rourke
Middleweight: Nigeria’s Patricia Mbata lost 5-0 to China’s Wang Lina
A questionable second round stoppage of Liz Andiego’s light-heavyweight bout against China’s Wang Xiaomeng ignited a storm of protests from the Kenyan coaches at the Serbia Worlds.
For unknown reasons, the referee gave Andiego a standing count in the second round, and then decided to stop the fight yet the Kenyan was not in any danger or staggered by the Chinese punches.
“Why? Why?,” angry Kenyan coaches were heard shouting from the ringside.
“Is it because we’re blacks,” they went on obviously bitter on this questionable second round stoppage loss of Kenya’s last hope for a medal.
Otherwise, the fight was balanced on a knife’s edge with none of the boxers having a territorial advantage.
It’s unfortunate the fight was stopped when both fighters were preparing to unleash more deadly combos to gain control of the proceedings.
Earlier, Sierra Leone’s gutsy Josefien Betist lost on points to European lightweight champion from Serbia Natalia Shadrina.
Nigeria's London-based African Games middleweight champion Patricia Mbata is declared the winner over Vasiliki Stavridou of Greece.
NINE DAUGHTERS OF AFRICA LAND IN QUARTER-FINALS
Close quarter exchanges…Nigeria’s Patricia Mbata (left) and Vasiliki Stavridou of Greece.
The battle for cash, prestige and personal glory is approaching it’s crescendo with nine beautiful daughters of Africa doing the continent proud by punching their way to the quarter-finals of the Women’s World Boxing Championships in Serbia on Wednesday, March 12.
It’s now do-or-die as they’re now just one step away from the medal bracket.
The latest qualifiers to the quarters-finals after the round of 16 bouts on Wednesday are three Moroccans, minimumweight Rabab Cheddar, flyweight Imane El Azami and light -middleweight Saida Lahmidi, and London-based Nigerian African Games middleweight champion Patricia Mbata.
The boxer said The Nigeria Boxing Federation gave her the greenlight to take part in the IBA Tournament despite the federation’s decision to move to world boxing.
“Nigeria boxing federation authorised me to participate in this competition formally,” the middleweight champion told boxersworld.co.ke. “I am working with my boxing federation and they are fully aware of my movements.”
Mbata and the rest of the quarter-finalists are already assured of $10,000 each for reaching the quarters. This is the newly-introduced prize money for quarter-finalists by IBA. The semi-finalists will earn $25,000, silver medalists $50,000 and a whopping $100,000 for gold medalists.
Morocco’s Rabab Cheddar (right) on her way to victory against Mexico’s Galicia Gomez in the minimumweight category.
In Wednesday’s last 16 bouts, minimumweight Rabab Cheddar outpointed Mexico’s Galicia Gomez, Patricia Mbata was fully stretched by Vasiliki Stavridou of Greece before winning on points, Imane El Azami beat Spain’s Meron Gutierrez 5-0 and Saida Lahmidi stopped Uzbekstan’s Oysha Toirova in 44 seconds of the third round.
The going has not been smooth for the inexperienced and poorly prepared Kenyan girls as two more fell by the wayside, leaving light-heavyweight Liz Andiego to soldier on as the only remaining Kenyan in the tournament.
Kenya’s flyweight Lencer Akinyi (left), making her international debut in Serbia, found the going rough against Serbia’s Dragana Jovanovic who stopped the Kenyan in the first round.
Flyweight Lencer Akinyi, making her international debut, was stopped in one minute 18 seconds of round one by Serbia’s Dragana Jovanovic while featherweight Pauline Chege, appearing in the World Championships for the second time, was stopped in the second round by Tajikistan’s Asian champion Mijgona Samadova.
Eagled-eyed Kenyan Pauline Chege.
A total of 15 boxers from Africa have so far been shown the door. They can now enjoy boxing from the terraces cheering their compatriots and also learning from accomplished boxers on how to excel in the prestigious Women’s World Championships. By now they know winning a medal in this highly competitive tournament is not a walk in the park.
Liz Andiego (far left) is relying on the support of her teammates in Serbia to silence her Chinese opponent in the quarter-finals on Thursday, March 13.
KENYA’S LIZ ANDIEGO ASSURED OF KSH1.2 MILLION, SHE WANTS TO SMASH HER OPPONENT’S RIBS
Liz Andiego carrying the hopes of over 50 million Kenyans.
Win or lose, Kenya’s Liz Andiego is assured of $10,000 (Ksh 1,295,000), the prize money for quarter-finalists in the ongoing Women’s World Boxing Championships in Serbia.
It’s the first time the International Boxing Association (IBA) is offering quarter-finalists prize money in addition to $100,000 for gold medalists, silver medalists earning $50,000 and $25,000 for the two bronze medalists. That’s why IBA leads and others follow.
There is no doubt Ladyluck has been very generous to Kenya’s most successful female boxer Liz Andiego who is also the face of women’s boxing in East Africa.
She becomes the first East African boxer to earn the newly-introduced $10,000 for quarter-finalists in the World Championships.
At the 2022 Women’s World Boxing in Turkey, she received a bye to the quarter-finals, losing 5-0 to homegirl, 39-year-old Elif Guneri.
Ladyluck again smiled to the Kenyan warhorse in the 2023 World Championships in New Delhi, India, where she again got a bye to the quarter-finals, and lost on points to Kazakhstan’s Fariza Sholtay.
In this year’s Serbia Worlds, Ladyluck again gave Liz a warm hug as she received a bye to the quarters.
BFK President Jamal handed over power to Liz Andiego in his office at Chel-C Hotel ahead of Serbia Worlds.
It’s her third quarter-final appearance in the World Championships, battling China’s Wang Xiaomeng who defeated Asian champion Gulsaya Yerzhan from Kazakhstan in the pre-quarters.
The big question remains: What strategy should Liz adopt against the Chinese boxer?
Should she throw caution to the wind and fight her to mess up her game plan?
How about a phone booth approach?, making sure Xiaomeng doesn’t get an inch to keep Liz at bay. Hapa kwa hapa!
The Kenyan star boxer, an upright campaigner who prefers to hit the head mostly, can as well decide to go for the body taking advantage of her power to repeatedly smash the Chinese with screaming body blows spiced with energy-sapping short uppercuts at her solar-plexus, or _kaasho_ it you like.
Liz could break her ribs in the ensuing body raid. This is boxing. If it happens, it’ll be bad luck for the Chinese boxer but this is a bout she has to win because the two-time Africa Championships silver medalists is carrying the hopes of over 50 million Kenyans.
Liz Andiego (right) in the 2024 AFBC Men’s and Women’s African Boxing Championships in Kinshasa, DR Congo.
Victory will see the 37-year-old Liz from Bondo in the Western Kenya Region becoming East Africa’s first ever medallist in the Women’s Worlds.
Morocco’s Rabab Cheddar outpoints Mexico’s Galicia Gomez to power her into the quarter-finals of the ongoing Women’s World Boxing Championships in Nis, Spain.
Rabab’s pre-quarters victory brings to six the number of African boxers already in the quarter-finals.
Others through to the quarters are Moroccans, bantamweight Widad Bertal, welterweight Mounia Toutire and light-heavyweight Hasnae Larti, Sierra Leone’s lightweight Josefien Betist and Kenya’s light-heavyweight Liz Andiego who received a bye to the last eight for her third appearance in the World Championships quarters.
Nigeria's African Games middleweight champion Patricia Mbata leads Africa's assault in today's pre-quarters.
SEVEN AFRICAN BOXERS TO TRADE LEATHER IN TODAY’S ROUND OF 16
With four boxers in the quarter-finals, morale is high among the African boxers taking part in the 14th edition of Women’s World Boxing Championships in Nis, Serbia.
More boxers from Africa are expected to sail through in today’s pre-quarters with seven pugilists in action.
So far, Africa’s female boxers have won a total of eight medals in the World Championships with North Africa winning six and Southern Africa two.
Mozambican boxing glamour girls, light-middleweight Alcinda Dos Santos won silver and bronze by middleweight Rady Gramane in the 2022 Worlds in Turkey to become the first boxers South of Sahara in Africa to win medals at the World Championships.
The face of Africa’s female boxing, charismatic Moroccan heavyweight Khadija Mardi made history in 2023 winning Africa’s first ever gold medal in the World Championships. She won bronze in 2019 in Russia, the first one for Africa in Women’s Worlds. Mardi pulled out of the Serbia event because she’s unwell.
Here’s today’s (March 12) schedule for African boxers:
Minimumweight: Rabab Cheddar (Morocco) vs Galicia Gomez (Mexico)
Featherweight: Pauline Chege (Kenya) vs Mijgona Samadova (Tajikistan)
Middleweight: Aminata Koroma (Sierra Leone) vs Nadezhda Ryabets (Kazakhstan)
Patricia Mbata (IBA- Nigeria) vs Vasiliki Stavridou (Greece)
Flyweight: Imane El Azami (Morocco) vs Meron Gutierrez (Spain)
Lencer Akinyi (Kenya) vs Dragana Jovanovic (Serbia)
Light-middleweight: Saida Lahmidi (Morocco) vs Oysha Toirova (Uzbekistan)
Wow! I've won!...An emotional two-time Africa champion and African Games gold medallist Widad Bertal of Morocco is one of the four African boxers in quarters.
FOUR AFRICAN BOXERS IN QUARTERS AS TOTAL NUMBER OF LOSERS SWELLS TO 13
The joy of winning is written all over the face of Sierra Leone’s bantamweight Josefien Betist.
Three Moroccan boxers Widad Bertal, Mounia Toutire, Hasnae Larti and Sierra Leone’s Josefien Betist punched their way to the quarter-finals in Day 3 of Women’s World Boxing Championships in Nis, Serbia on Tuesday, March 11.
Bertal, the two-time Africa bantamweight champion and African Games gold medallist outpointed North Korea’s Park Jin Hyang, welterweight Toutire beat Mexico’s Maria Rodriguez 5-0, Africa light-heavyweight champion Larti stopped Serbia’s Elma Hajrovic in two minutes 57 seconds of the third round while Betist won against Latvia’s Anna Sorokina 5-0.
Six more African boxers, four Kenyans, one Moroccan and a Cape Verdean were eliminated from the tournament as some officials raised concern on what they felt was questionable officiating.
Take it easy Cape Verdean Ivanusa Moreira. You win some lose some.
The four Kenyans out ar_Take it easy Cape Verdean Ivanusa Moreira. You win some lose some_e lightweight Emily Juma beaten 5-0 by Slovakia’s Miroslava Jedinakova, light-welterweight Cynthia Mwai was stopped in 22 seconds of the second round by Mexico’s Gonzalez Hernandez, welterweight Friza Anyango lost 5-0 to Slovakia’s Tamara Kubalova and bantamweight Amina Martha went down on points to Russia’s Karina Tazabekova.
Morocco’s bronze medal winner in the 2023 World Championships and Africa light-flyweight champion Yasmine Mouttaki was beaten 5-0 by Kazakhstan’s bronze medallist in the 2023 India Worlds Alua Balkibekova while Cape Verde’s Africa champion in Yaounde 2023 Moreira lost 5-0 to Kazakhstan’s Zhasmin Kizatova.
Kenya’s Emily Juma (right) was one of the six African boxers eliminated in Day 3 of World Boxing Championships in Nis, Serbia on Tuesday, March 11, 2025.
With six boxers out in Day 3 of Serbia Worlds, a total of 13 African boxers have now been eliminated from the 14th edition of the ongoing World Championships.
Tunisia's Islem Ferchichi (right) dominated Russia's Karina Tazabekova but was robbed of clean victory, putting once again into disrepute on dubious decisions.
AFRICA ROBBED AS DANCING KENYANS BRIGHTEN UP DAY TWO
Tunisia’s Islem Ferchichi (right) dominated Russia’s Karina Tazabekova but was robbed of clean victory, putting boxing into disrepute once again on dubious decisions.
Biased officiating reared its ugly head on Day Two of Women’s World Boxing Championships in Serbia on March 10, 2025.
Jovial dancing Kenyan girls however brightened up the day as the total number of African boxers who have lost swelled to seven.
Tunisia’s bantamweight Islem Ferchichi dominated Russia’s Karina Tazabekova that at the end of the three rounds even those with elementary knowledge of boxing would have given the Tunisian boxer a deserved victory.
Surprisingly, it was the Russian boxer declared the winner much to the chagrin of Ferchichi who had the better of the exchanges throughout the three rounds.
The five judges interestingly all scored it 30-27 in favour of the Russian boxer. Probably they were watching baseball.
My high school buddy Ephraim Amboye, who is a staunch boxing fan, described it as a stinking decision which has once again put boxing into disrepute.
“That was daylight robbery, totally unacceptable,” said Amboye now a businessman in Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi.
The loss of Ethiopia’s bantamweight Roman Abate to Moldova’s Iulia Coroli was also suspicious and had decided by BR with Coroli taking it 4-3.
Dancing Kenyan girls livened up the day for Africa when they celebrated in style the walkover victories of flyweight Lencer Akinyi and featherweight Pauline Chege following the unavailability of their opponents.
Lencer was to fight South Africa’s Thandolwethu Mathiba and Pauline was pitted against Montenegro’s Bojana Gojkovic.
The two Kenyans have now qualified to the round of 16, and will be in action on Wednesday, March 12. Lencer meets number five seed Serbia’s Dragana Jovanovic while Pauline battles Tajikistan’s number four seed Mijgona Samadova.
In addition to Ferchichi and Abate, other losing African boxers on Day Two were Zimbabwean duo of lightweight Hilday Kaye beaten by Serbia’s Christina Kuluhova and featherweight Lovelight Fusire who lost 5-0 to Brazil’s Yasmin Alvez.
After Day Two action, a total of seven African boxers have so far been eliminated and two winning on walkovers to move to the round of 16.
Day One on March 9 saw three African boxers kissing goodbye to the Women’s World Boxing Championships. They are Kenya’s light-flyweight Veronica Mbithe beaten 5-0 by Kazakhstan’s two-time world championships medallist Alua Belkibekova and two Ethiopians, light-flyweight Werkneshi Wada and lightweight Million Cherba who lost via a walkover while Wada was stopped in the second round by Turkey’s Aysen Taskin.
Meanwhile, South Africa and Tanzania joined Ghana and DR Congo as nations that failed to travel to Serbia after failing to be issued with visas, a painful body blow to the boxers whose months of preparations have gone to waste.
