LIZ ANDIEGO SETS NEW RECORD AND TOPPLES PHILIP WARUINGE
_The celebrated boxer is now a brand on her own and therefore fits the bill for endorsements as Ambassador for women’s amateur boxing in Kenya and the region from major organisations such as Safaricom and SportPesa_
Warhorse Elizabeth Andiego, the doyen of female amateur boxing in East Africa, has set a new record in Kenya boxing and probably in the region too.
The 37-year-old Andiego has fought her way unbeaten for 14 years since she made her international debut in 2010. That’s now the longest unbeaten record in Kenya boxing, surpassing the previous one held by legendary Philip Waruinge who remained unbeaten locally for 10 years followed by Steve “Destimo” Muchoki, unbeaten for seven years ever since he made his international debut in 1973 and turned pro in 1979 with a world title to his belt.
Muchoki’s last defeat locally was at the hands of Daniel “Nytil” Njoroge of Eddie “Papa” Musi’s Bangladesh Boxing Club in 1970 at Makongeni.Estate in Nairobi.
“I was still an upcoming boxer, so one day coach Charles Anjimbi hurriedly picked me for a special contest during a tournament at Makongeni, and I lost to Njoroge,” recalls Muchoki.
“Njoroge was to fight James Njoroge of YMCA but he was overweight so Anjimbi decided I replace him.”
Muchoki, a karateka then, started showing his interest in boxing following the formation of Railways Starehe Boxing Club in 1969 by Anjimbi, peeping through the windows with his friends in Muthurwa nicknamed Dallas to watch boxers training under Anjimbi.
“We used to laugh when we watched a boxer being beaten in sparring,” Muchoki told boxersworld.co.ke
“One day Anjimbi was so annoyed with our habit and pulled us inside with my friends, gave us gloves to fight each other, that’s how I found myself in boxing, he also noticed I had potential.”
The late Waruinge, Kenya’s most successful and popular boxer, was a student of Irish coach Maxi McCullough at the famous Nakuru ABC popularly known as Madison Square Garden which was the cradle of Kenya boxing in the early 60s.
After losing the flyweight final bout to former national head coach Peter Mwarangu in 1962 during the National Individual Championships at City Hall, Waruinge never lost locally for 10 years until he turned professional in Japan in 1973.
“Mwarangu could not have beaten me but I found it difficult boxing in ring boots for the first time, I was slipping down to the canvas unable to box the way I usually do,” Waruinge told me in one of the several interviews I have done with him.
Philip Mainge, a close buddy of Waruinge whom he holds in high esteem confirms Waruinge’s 10-year unbeaten run.
“I didn’t witness Waruinge losing or getting injured for 10 years after losing to Mwarangu until he turned professional. He boxed with speed and scoring prowess, increasing his tempo towards the end of the third round. I didn’t see him being warned in the ring maybe those who were with him outside the country can tell us more. We boxers at Nakuru learned a lot from him including his flashing left hook and guard, it was difficult to punch his head because besides his tight guard he attacked constantly as a form of defence ever busy in the ring. He was a gifted boxer,” says Mainge.
Reigning Africa light-middleweight champion, Boniface “The Hammer” Mogunde of Kenya Police, is also in the mix. He is fourth behind Muchoki unbeaten for six years since last losing to Prisons’ Jacob Kimathi during the 2018 Commonwealth Games trials at Kaloleni Social Hall.
Back to Andiego, the 2024 BFK Boxer of the Year and captain of the national team. She has been so dominant that for the last three years Andiego has no opponent locally. The last time she fought in a local tournament was in the Jamal Cup in 2021 at Charter Hall stopping Metrine Sagina in the first round of the light-heavyweight bout.
“It’s not good at all to be inactive, and I cannot say my opponents are scared of me, I’m not also blaming anybody because generally in Africa we have a problem in the heavier weights we’re few,” says Andiego, adding;”In fact from what I’ve observed in Africa tournaments from light-welterweight to heavyweight women boxers are few that’s why we start boxing in competitions from quarters, semis and others go straight to the final. What has kept me going are the international tournaments like in 2024 I was busy throughout, this helped me a lot to improve on myself.”
Andiego is undeniably East Africa’s most decorated female amateur boxer. She has won two gold medals in the inaugural Mandela African Boxing Cup tournament in Durban, South Africa in 2024 and the 2022 Africa Zone 3 in Kinshasa, DRC, two silvers and a bronze in the Africa Championships and a bronze in the 2021 Zone 3 Championships. She has been at the Olympics once in 2012, four times in the World Championships, thrice in the Africa Championships and Commonwealth Games, twice in Zone 3, once in African Games in 2019 in Rabat, Morocco and the Mandela Cup.
Her boxing journey began in 2008 when she joined Bangladesh Boxing Club in Nairobi’s Kariobangi Estate, learning the fundamentals of boxing under the tutelage of a former professional boxer Dalmas Otieno..
“He coached me well, showing me the one-two punches which I use effectively up to now,” says Andiego.
“My first competitive tournament was in 2008 as a middleweight at Kawangware which I won, I then took the novices and intermediate titles, I also lost a few fights not more than three times I think but from 2010 up to today I’m unbeaten at home against my fellow Kenyan boxers.”
Andiego was among nine boxers who made their international debut in the 2010 Women’s World Championships in Bridgetown, Barbados. She lost her first fight to Erica Guerrier of France in the round of 32.
“Imagine we were all boxing for Kenya for the first time without any build-up matches, it was tough for us we learned the hard way.”
In 2012, Andiego made history becoming the first East African female boxer to compete in the Olympic Games in London courtesy of a wild card, losing on points to Kazakhstan’s middleweight Marina Volnova in the round of 16. Volnova was then sent packing in the semis by the eventual gold medallist Claressa Shields of the USA.
Besides the Olympics, Andiego also completed in her second World Championships in Qinhuangdao, China, still in the middleweight category which attracted 40 boxers. The Kenyan boxer was outpointed by Norway’s Lotte Lien in the round of 32.
The next stop for Andiego was in Glasgow, Scotland where she made her debut in the Commonwealth Games losing on points to Australia’s Kaye Scott in the round of 16.
Then out of the blue when Andiego was preparing for the 2015 African Games in Congo Brazzaville came the motorbike accident along Kangundo Road in Nairobi.
“I was sitted comfortably heading home from my training, a Kenatco taxi left the left side of the road and hit us head-on and crashed on the ditch, it was a shocking experience for me and the rider, the taxi driver escaped but I managed to take the number plates though in pain, my left leg was fractured and I had a crack on my skull, I think the taxi driver was drunk.”
She was rushed to nearby Mama Lucy Hospital and later referred to Kenyatta National Hospital for surgery. She remained there for two months and eventually released.
Andiego earned her living as a gym trainer but following the accident she was confined at home daily with very little movement.
“It was the most difficult period in my life, very stressful, I’m lucky I still had my savings from 2012 that helped me and my family put food on the table but I was getting worried I might exhaust everything. My resilience, perseverance and boxing passion helped me a lot in that most painful moment in my life.”
She returned to the gym silently in 2017 and started with light training focusing on the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.
The trials for the Commonwealth Games were held at Kaloleni Social Hall in Nairobi. That’s when she resurfaced taking everybody by surprise even officials of the Boxing Association of Kenya (BAK) led by John Kameta.
To her surprise, her opponent in the middleweight final, Elizabeth Akinyi was nowhere to be seen during the weigh-in. Andiego therefore made it to the Kenya team without throwing a punch since they were just the two of them in the middleweight class.
The effects of the accident took toll on the Kenyan boxer in Gold Coast. She was beaten on points in the quarter-finals by Nigeria’s bronze medallist Millicent Agboegbulem.
“I was not in my usual form, I couldn’t move the left leg so she hit me easily, my leg was heavy,” recalls Andiego on her loss to the Nigerian..
She lost to another Nigerian again – Toyin Adejumola – at the 2019 African Games in Rabat, Morocco.
And at the 2020 Africa Olympic Games qualifiers in in Dakar, Senegal, Andiego was eliminated by Mozambican two-time Africa champion Rady Gramane but she believes she was robbed of victory.
“I know myself when I’m winning a fight, this one she was given as she was seeded on top of me,” says Andiego who met Gramane again in the 2021 Zone 3 Championships in Kinshasa, DRC where she settled for bronze.
“This time I accept Gramane beat me, I was not myself I had some personal issues disturbing my mind.”
Andiego got her own back when she outpointed Gramane in the finals of the Mandela African Boxing Cup in 2024 in Durban, South Africa.
“I was well prepared for Gramane this time, I told myself she’ll not beat me, I kept her busy throughout the fight she could do nothing.”
In addition to Gramane, Andiego’s other rival in Africa is Morocco’s world champion Khadija Mardi who has defeated the Kenyan three times, first at the 2022 Africa Championships finals in Maputo, Mozambique..
“I was okay in the ring, giving Mardi a hard time then to my surprise the fight was stopped in the second round, maybe they didn’t want me to embarrass her,” says Andiego. Mardi defeated Andiego again in the 2023 Africa Championships finals in Yaounde, Cameroon and in the final bout of the Paris Olympic qualifiers in Dakar, Senegal.
Still with no opponent this year, Andiego hopes she’ll be involved in several international tournaments to keep herself busy and in shape.
One opponent who would have given her a good fight, Media Muhatia, quit boxing and is currently a gym trainer out of the country.
“I quit boxing because I was not benefitting from the sport, If I got employed I would still be boxing because I love the game,” Muhatia told me in a telephone interview.
The other light-heavyweight, Metrine Sagina, is still way below the standard of Andiego while Elizabeth Akinyi has been out of action for long. Word has it she intended to turn pro at home last year but she’s still keeping fans guessing on her next move. All the aforementioned boxers have been beaten clean by Andiego.
The Eldoret-based Sagina explains why she has not done well in the ring.
“I’m all alone in Eldoret without a coach and without any sparring, there is no boxing in Eldoret these days, this affects me a lot in tournaments that’s why it’s difficult to cope up with my better trained opponents. I also spend my own money travelling for league matches, it’s only when I was representing Vihiga they supported me,” says Sagina.
If you thought Andiego is about to step out of the ring hold your horses.
“I’ve heard some people saying I should quit, I ask myself why yet I’ve not lost to any opponent, I’m still fit and will continue fighting until I’m 40 years, I’m not quitting now.”
Without a steady income, life is not a bed of roses for Andiego.
“Things are hard for me financially, I don’t have a permanent job, I rely on the little I earn as a gym trainer, and these days most Kenyans are not okay financially.”
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Perhaps, this is now the right time for big organisations such as Safaricom, SportPesa and Betika to support Andiego through endorsements as the Ambassador of female boxing in Kenya. She’s an inspiration to upcoming Kenyan female boxers and has also encouraged many of them to take up boxing. They admire her leadership qualities, patience, discipline and resilience in the face of adversity.
_Photos by Duncan Kuria and some shared by Liz Andiego_
