In Nis, Serbia
Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helu once said: “Courage taught me that no matter how bad a crisis gets, any sound investment will eventually pay off.”
This outlook by a man who 10 years ago was ranked as the world’s richest person by Forbes magazine could seamlessly apply to sport where solid investment in talent development certainly pays off.
And that’s Kenya’s boxing coach Benjamin Musa’s mantra here as the 14th Women’s World Boxing Championships got underway on Sunday night with Kenya’s first boxer in the ring, light-flyweight Veronica Mbithe, eliminated by Kazakhstan’s decorated fighter Alua Balkibekova on a unanimous points decision.
Meanwhile, the two Kenyan boxers in scheduled action yesterday - Lencer Akinyi and Pauline Chege - were handed an extra day off after bagging walkovers following no-shows by would-be opponents on the second day of the action here.
Flyweight Akinyi and featherweight Chege sailed into the Round of 16, each without throwing a punch, after Mathiba Thandolwethu (South Africa) and Gojkovic Bojana (Montenegro) failed to show up.
Akinyi will now face home girl Javanovic Dragana in the round of 16 tomorrow, while Chege awaited the winner of last night’s Round of 32 fight between Mexico’s Peres Mejia Diana Paloma and Tajikistan’s Samadova Mijgona in the Round of 16 also tomorrow.
Kenya’s flyweight Veronica Mbithe during her Round of 32 fight at the 14th IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships against Kazakhstan’s Alua Balkibekova at the Cair Sports Centre in Nis, Serbia, on Monday, March 9, 2025.
Photo credit: Pool | IBA
On Sunday night, analysts here heaped Mbithe, 29, with praise for taking Balkibekova – who won silver and bronze at the past two World Championships – down to the wire.
“Good boxer,” was the little, but touching English the non-English speaking Kazakh fighter, who is also a two-time Asian champion, could muster in showing respect to Mbithe at the Kenyan corner.
Kazakhstan fighters are revered in these global circles with one boxing commentator here joking that some nations quickly withdraw their fighters once drawn against Kazakh boxers!
But Mbithe did not chicken out after the draw and took on the world championships silver and bronze medallist, surprising her with combination punches that threw the Kenyan corner at the Cair Sports Centre into a frenzy.
“Her record is good…she’s a two-time world champion and she came in knowing that she would finish the fight early, but I was also confident that although she is a champion in her country, I’m also champion in my country,” Mbithe reacted.
Kenya’s flyweight Veronica Mbithe (left) reacts after Kazakhstan’s Alua Balkibekova was declared winner of their IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships Round of 32 fight at the Cair Sports Centre in Nis, Serbia, on March 9, 2025.
Photo credit: Pool | IBA
“She’s a world champion and I’m an upcoming champion, so I said she won’t beat me via a stop. I was confident I would go toe-to-toe with her until the final round.”
Balkibekova tried to make her powerful right count, catching Mbithe on the backfoot several times, but the Kenyan stood her ground.
“My strategy was to attack with a combination of punches because even my coaches told me not to rely on single punches,” she explained. When she came in with one punch, I responded with three and it was working well… the only blunder I made was the fact that I was going in from my left which exposed me to her powerful right attack.”
Mbithe said she learnt a great deal from the fight and was motivated by the fact that she lasted the distance.
“The fight motivated me… I’m very happy because I have now seen that these fighters are beatable after all.”
The judges from Morocco, Spain, Belgium, Serbia, and Cuba - namely Semlali Oumayma, Francisco Avila Prieto, Pompili Felice, Petkovic Maria and Wilfred Vasquez Calero - gave the Kazakh fighter a unanimous 5-0 decision (30:27; 30:26; 30:24; 30:27 and 30:27) after which coach Musa said there’s no shortcut to success, stressing the need for solid investment in the development of Kenya’s young women fighters.
Kenya’s flyweight Veronica Mbithe (left) congratulates winner, Kazakhstan’s Alua Balkibekova, after their Round of 32 fight at the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships at the Cair Sports Centre in Nis, Serbia, on March 9, 2025.
Photo credit: Pool | IBA
“We knew the history of the Kazakhstan fighter… she is twice Asian champion and has been a medalist at the World Championships twice. We knew her pedigree and what she was bringing to the table,” coach Musa reacted.
“We had planned that Mbithe circles and avoids Balkibekova’s powerful right hand, while at the same time clinching when she comes close, and to keep the clock ticking.
“Balkibekov is a very experienced boxer and in the end it showed. Her experience counted, but she was shaken and even told us Mbithe is a good boxer as she came to our corner after the fight.
“Her (Balkibekova’s) plan was to stop Mbithe early because she didn’t know her and had no record of our boxer… but things didn’t go as expected.”
“We need more exposure. It is performances at such levels that will lift up our boxing. We will only grow if we invest in fighting against the best at various international tournaments.
“But there is a lot of improvement by our boxers if you compare our last World Championship in 2023 and now, which is encouraging to us.”
