Reigning Africa light-middleweight champion Boniface Mogunde aka The Hammer is one of the top boxers expected to set alight this year’s Kenya Open Boxing Championships from April 17-19 in Nairobi.

If you’ve not watched the rebranded Mogunde in action lately, Kenya Open is the place to be.

The Police boxer will entertain and mesmerize you with his new approach spiced with Cuban style of boxing that combines graceful footwork, clean scoring punches and distance management.

“The reason why I like the Cuban way of boxing is that they normally focus on scoring points with clean technical punches rather than aiming for a knockout,” Mogunde told boxersworld.co.ke

“They mostly apply techniques and exceptional footwork which allows them to move quickly around the ring to avoid being hit and create angles to land clean shots.”

Mogunde is currently training with his Police teammates at the Mathare Depot well aware that he’s the boxer to beat in the light-middleweight division.

Since losing to Prisons’ Jacob Kimathi in the 2018 Commonwealth Games trials at Kaloleni Social Hall, Mogunde has remained unbeaten locally up to this day.

So who will end his seven-year unbeaten run in the Kenya Open?

One boxer Mogunde will have to watch is Alvin Oduor of Kenya Defence Forces who put up an impressive show in last year’s league. The Mbotela Estate – bred Oduor finished the season on a winning note stopping Andrew Odhiambo of Kenya Prisons in the second round during the final leg of the Kenya National Boxing League in Homa Bay last year, 2024.

It remains to be seen whether Oduor will be able to match the crafty Mogunde with his slick moves if they meet in the Kenya Open.

Mogunde, whose potential was spotted and moulded by national team head coach Musa Benjamin in 2013, made his international debut in the 2019 African Games in Rabat, Morocco where he won a bronze medal in the welterweight division.

He ended Kenya’s seven-year gold medal drought in the Africa Championships during the continental event in 2024 in Kinshasa, DR Congo, outpointing
Burundi’s Nestor Nduwarugira in the finals.

Besides the Kinshasa gold, Mogunde has won bronze and silver in the Zone Five Championships in DR Congo. He has also won bronze medals twice in the Africa Championships in 2022 and 2023..

BFK MEDIA

Newly-crowned Kenya’s national intermediate super-heavyweight champion Lameck “Tarzan” Okumu is now focused on this month’s Kenya Open Championships in Nairobi.

With the novices and intermediate titles under his belt, Okumu, who works as a motorbike rider commonly known as boda boda in Kenya, feels he has what it takes to silence the top super heavyweights in the country.

“They can’t stand my power and skills, and I have a new punch called jajuok, they’ll not see it coming it will hit them hard like lightning,” quipped the 26-year-old father of one boy, Luan Li Okumu.

It took not more than a minute and a half for the muscular Okumu to stop Nairobi’s Ian Maina in the finals of the Intermediate Championships on April 5 in Thika town, 42 kilometres northeast of the Central Business District of Kenya’s capital city Nairobi.

“The ref stopped the fight though I wasn’t yet done with my opponent, I was preparing to inflict more pain on him he’s so lucky,” says Okumu, one of the impressive winners of the three-day event held at Thika Community Hall which was fully packed during the finals.

Okumu and promising female light-welterweight Sonia Atieno were the toast of Kisumu’s team with Atieno stopping Nairobi’s Cynthia Wambui in the third round to signal her intention to dislodge KDF’s international Cynthia Mwai in the Kenya Open Championships.

Their victories propelled Kisumu to the second overall position behind winners Nairobi.

Okumu attributes his steady rise to coach Vincent Odongo who taught him the basics of this combat sport when he joined Milimani Boxing Club in 2021.

“I’ve learnt a lot from my coach, he taught me the importance of discipline, respect to everyone, avoid underrating my opponents in the ring and to avoid bad friends.

“I owe my novices and intermediate titles to coach Odongo. My burning ambition is to represent the national team I’m confident of being there.”

Coach Odongo is full praise of Okumu for what he has achieved so far.

“Lameck can make a great boxer, he’s so respectful and disciplined,” says Odongo, a student of one of Kisumu’s famous boxers Lawrence “Cobra” Jaoko who was his coach when he started boxing in 2005 in Kisumu.

“Lameck is capable of emulating Jaoko if he becomes financially stable, a pressing problem facing most boxers in Kisumu.”

In addition to Jaoko, among other top internationals who learnt their trade in Kisumu is Zack Amalemba, winner of the national intermediate heavyweight title in 1971 at Kaloleni Social Hall in Nairobi earning his first call up to the national team which was preparing for the inaugural East African Championships at Nairobi’s City Hall.

Amalemba’s potential secured him a job at Kenya Prisons, and he’s famously known for knocking out Kenya’s dreaded boxer David Attan in the first round of their middleweight bout during the 1976 Montreal Olympics trials at Desai Memorial Hall.

While Okumu is convinced he can attain the standards of Jaoko and Amalemba, he feels his current shaky financial situation might hinder his progress.

“I work as boda boda rider, and live in Nyamasaria Kasule, life is just too hard for me and the rest of the boxers in Kisumu.

“The motorbike is not mine, I make like 600 shillings per day I give the owner 300 shillings and I take the other half. It’s just hand to mouth living taking care of my wife and son Luan, rent is 1,500 per month.”

He feels if he had his own motorbike life would be easier for him.

“Having my own motorbike means whatever I earn is mine I don’t share it with anybody,” says Okumu, adding:”I’m very determined to have my own motorbike and save money to buy another one so that I can employ one of my fellow boxers to earn some money.

“Life is hard for Kisumu boxers, we need support and a properly equipped gym under Kisumu County, we have many good boxers but some are forced to quit boxing to concentrate on working to feed their families.”

Odongo appeals to Kisumu County bigwigs to employ the boxers to encourage them pursue boxing without much stress.

“If some of the boxers get jobs in the county then we can overcome the financial challenges facing boxers in Kisumu,” says Odongo.

Okumu wakes up early in the morning and works up to around 6pm and then goes for training at Milimani Club.

“It’s a difficult life, riding a motorbike the whole and then you go for training it’s not easy,” says Okumu but he believes on the adage: “When the going gets tough the tough get going.

It’s high noon for South Africa’s top female pro boxer Simangele “Smash” Hadebe in Puebla, Mexico.

https://www.discoversport.com/watch/d7f8a32a-3963-4e3a-838c-77bf0a1e85e

The 31-year-old Hadebe (14-3-2, 5 KOs) is challenging Mexico’s Gabriel “Bonita” Sanchez (11-6-0, 1KO) for her WBC silver flyweight title at the Ignacio Zaragoza Stadium. The show starts at 7pm Mexico time, and in South Africa Smash should be in the ring by 5am on Saturday morning and 6am East African time on April 5.

Sanchez is defending her WBC silver flyweight title for the third time against an aggressive opponent who is very hungry for success to stamp her authority in big-time boxing. It’s a career defining fight for Smash who has vowed to turn the Mexican into mashed potatoes, and join other top South African boxers who have silenced the Mexicans at their backyard.

“I’m inspired by my compatriots, Sivenathi Nontshinga and Simphiwe Nongqayi who have beaten the Mexicans here Infront of their own fans, so nothing is impossible I can do the same,” Hadebe told boxersworld.co.ke from Puebla after the weigh-in on Thursday.

Nontshinga aka The Special One shocked the Mexicans in February, 2024, when he stopped Mexico’s Adrian Curiel in the 10th round to reclaim his IBF junior flyweight title.

Yet it’s Curiel who had dominated the South African boxer from the early stages of the fight, neutralising Nontshinga’s strategy of fighting from the inside but everything changed in the 9th round when a heavy left hook shocked Curiel and somewhat disorganised his game plan.

The Special One, aware that Curiel had yet to recover from the effects of the hook, went for the kill in the 10th round, unleashing double-fisted flurries, knocking down Curiel at 44 seconds before the referee waved it off to save the cornered Curiel who was not responding to Nontshinga’s onslaught.

Nongqayi from Eastern Cape beat two Mexican brothers at their backyard in 2009. First he defeated Francisco Arce in a title eliminator on February 28, 2009 and in September of the same year he beat Jorge Arce to win the vacant IBF super-flyweight title.

Inspired by the victories of his two compatriots in Mexico, Hadebe said victory is within sight.

“My coach Jack (award-winning Khangelani) has conditioned me to all aspects of the game, I’m also aiming for a knock out if I get the right opening,” said Hadebe who in 2022 made history as the first South African female boxer to win ABU title by decisioning Tanzania’s flyweight Halima Vunjabei whose seconders and the referee Namhla Tyuluba came under heavy criticism from a section of boxing fans for allowing the fight to continue with the Tanzanian’s left eye swollen completely that she was using only the right eye.

“The referee should have stopped the fight in the early rounds because her left eye swollen, she displayed rare courage,” Hadebe said after the fight in the ESPN series.

Hadebe has successfully defended ABU flyweight title twice against Tanzanians, Stumai Muki and Jessica Mfinanga, who retired in the first round unable to absorb more punishment from Hadebe.

As usual, Hadebe – a vocal child sex abuse activist – will also use the fight to create awareness of this vice prevalent in South Africa having herself been a victim at the age of seven but she chose to remain silent until she was 19 years is when she told her mum about it.

“It was such a painful experience, that’s why in all my fights my vest has a badge on child abuse to sensitise the world on this primitive habit by some irresponsible men,” said Hadebe.

“I want all women who’ve been victims of abuse not to remain silent but speak up and share their plight, it has to stop,” said Hadebe.

For fight fans who want to watch Hadebe’s fight, there’s more good news from the founder of DiscoverSport.com, Stephen Watson.

“We are proud to announce that Discover Sport has partnered with SuperSport to ensure SMASH’s WBC fight can be watched by as many fans as possible. Now you can live stream it on DiscoverSport.com or watch it on SuperSport’s Action Channel (Ch 210). SMASH we are all in your corner.

“Discover Sport will also be working with popular boxing commentators, Mr Hayden Jonas and Mr Bongani Magasela, to provide English⁹ commentary, so you don’t have to listen to the Spanish commentary feed. Let’s go!!! Let’s all work together to make boxing great again,” said Watson.

A section of Mexican boxing fans are rooting for South Africa’s Simangele “Smash” Hadebe to clinch WBC Silver flyweight title on Friday against Mexican Gabriel “La Bonita” Sanchez.

The fight will be promoted by Latin KO Promotions

Hadebe’s manager Colleen McAusland is amazed by the warm reception they have been accorded in Puebla, Mexico.

“Smash has been well received by boxing fans in Mexico. A lot of them are putting their money on her to win,” McAusland told boxersworld.co.ke from Mexico.

She said they are fully focused on Friday’s showdown.

“We’ve been concentrating only on our fight, no sight-seeing, we are here to take care of our business and bring the title to Africa soil,” said a confident McAusland who has managed the Africa Africa flyweight champion since 2018.

“The beauty of it all is that whole world will watch the fight, her sponsor DiscoverSport.com paid the broadcaster in Mexico a substantial fee to show the fight to the whole world, thousands of people will be watching.”