International boxers have several options when they step out of the ring.
They can decide to maintain their association with boxing as coaches and administrators.
They can as well opt to become silent fans, or make their presence felt by venting their repressed emotions on the federation of the day through stinging criticism without offering solutions or further still decide to keep off from boxing completely and concentrate on their personal activities.
Two former internationals, Dan Shisia and Teresiah Wanjiru, have decided to give back to boxing through coaching.
The two Kenya Prisons Service employees were among the 21 coaches who attended the just-concluded 10-day IBA 1-Star coaching course organised by Boxing Federation of Kenya (BFK) at the Chel-C Hotel in Nairobi.
Shisia and Wanjiru spoke to boxersworld.co.ke to share their experiences in the course conducted online by IBA instructors.
“We learnt a lot and I wish to thank the BFK for bringing the course at our doorstep,” says Shisia, adding:” I learnt how to handle elite and professional boxers and how a coach needs to be treated with respect irrespective of the boxer’s reputation.”
Wanjiru, the Zone 3 light-welterweight champion, was excited to be selected for the course.
“I appreciate BFK’s efforts to give us women boxers a chance to become professional coaches,” says Wanjiru, the second female boxer to attend 1-Star coaching course after Liz Andiego who took part in a similar course in 2021 at the Hilton Hotel, Nairobi.
“I advice more women boxers to take up such opportunities because it’s the only way we shall improve the female boxing standards in Kenya, we need more female coaches to come on board to guide the increasing number of female boxers taking up the sport.
“I’ve learnt a lot in the course given that boxing and coaching are two different areas. I’m so happy to have gathered knowledge on legal issues, safety of the boxers, how to prepare a boxer reach her or his full potential which I never knew exists in the coaching course.”
Shisia, the elder brother to Kenya’s top heavyweight in pro boxing Maurice Okola or Moristo if you like, will share his knowledge at his Kenya Prisons Boxing Club where he is one of the coaches of this once giant of Kenya boxing.
He represented Kenya’s national team for 12 years, winning middleweight bronze in his international debut in the 2003 African Games in Abuja and won bronze again at the 2007 African Games in Algeria. He also took part in the 2006 Commonwealth Games and twice at the 2009 and 2013 World Championships calling it quits after taking part in the 2015 African Games to concentrate on coaching.
The pinnacle of Wanjiru’s consistent appearance for the national team since making her debut in 2015 was at the 2022 Zone 3 Africa Championships in Kinshasa where she was among the six gold medallists who enabled Kenya finish an inspiring second place behind DR Congo. Wanjiru, Everline Akinyi and Liz Andiego were the three female gold medallists. Kenya won a total of 18 medals – six gold, five silver and seven bronze medals.
“That was my best ever performance with the national team,” proudly recalls Wanjiru.
“I proved I’m one of the best female boxers in Africa because winning gold in an international competition is not a; walk in the park, the gold in Kinshasa was indeed a morale booster.”
Wanjiru can’t wait to team up with the national technical bench headed by Musa Benjamin to take women’s boxing to the next level.
“The knowledge I’ve gained in the course will guide me to improve women’s boxing, it will also be easier for me to interact with the female boxers, and this will give them a chance to open up on some personal female issues,” says Wanjiru now based at Kamiti Prisons.
