- Gaming giant SportPesa inject 40 million to revive Kenyan boxing in partnership with Ultra Fight Series (UFS).
- The transformative collaboration was officially unveiled during the KSh 120 million SportPesa Multi-Sponsorship event held on Thursday, January 29, 2026.
- The SportPesa boxing initiative, in partnership with UFS, will feature nine events divided across the year by quarters.
The boxing scene in Kenya has every reason to celebrate after leading gaming firm SportPesa entered a resounding partnership with the Ultra Fight Series (UFS) to revive championship bouts in the country.
The transformative collaboration was officially unveiled during the SportPesa multi-sponsorship event held on Thursday 29 January 2026.
During the launch, SportPesa confirmed the return of its boxing program, supported by a significant investment of KSh 40 million.
Speaking at the unveiling in Nairobi’s Uhuru Park, SportPesa Chief Commercial Officer Jason Gibson stated that despite the multitude of events in the country, the prominent firm is committed to ensuring every individual in the sports field gets a chance to showcase their talent globally.
He added that the decision to revive boxing in Kenya was largely inspired by the success of previous events hosted in partnership with UFS last year.
Gibson noted that those events drew massive interest, reinforcing the company’s desire to reintroduce boxing bouts locally while also nurturing fresh narratives beyond established names such as Fatuma Zarika.
The SportPesa boxing initiative, in partnership with UFS, will feature nine events divided into quarters.
Each quarter will include two smaller events spotlighting upcoming athletes, dubbed SportPesa Boxing Rising Stars, culminating in a major event titled SportPesa Boxing Night.
According to Jason, not all events will be open for live audience attendance; some will be designed exclusively for streaming.
Meanwhile, speaking exclusively to the SportPesa Blog, two-time super-bantamweight champion Fatuma Zarika, who attended the launch at Uhuru Park, welcomed SportPesa’s return to boxing, describing it as a major milestone for the sport and its athletes.
“We are back home. SportPesa coming back on board is a major milestone because they are making serious, substantial investments. This initiative is going to greatly benefit any boxer who takes part,” the 40-year-old champion stated.
The boxing program has already commenced, with the first SportPesa Boxing Rising Stars event set for Thursday, January 29, featuring 10 bouts.
While the event is not open to live spectators, it will be streamed exclusively on the SportPesa YouTube Channel.
The card will be headlined by two prominent fights: Jahn Juma will face Tanzania’s David Mbumba in an eight-round lightweight bout, while Javan Buyu will take on Tanzania’s Martin Shekivuli in a six-round lightweight contest.
