Hits and misses: Why Kenyan boxers may watch Olympic Games from the ringside

The new year will be a busy time for boxers as they have tough assignments in the final two stages of the World Boxing Qualifiers and then there is the 13th edition of the African Games that will be held in Accra, Ghana, from March 8 to March 23, followed by the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Once a successful boxing story in the continent and a beacon of hope to upcoming pugilists in the talent-rich East Africa Community (EAC) block, Kenyans are no longer firing deadly blows in the ring.

Kenyan boxers have climbed the ring in 13 Olympiads since the country gained independence in 1963, but if the recent international qualifier matches in Dakar are anything to go by, no Kenyan boxer may qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris from July 27 to August 10.

Chances of Kenyans featuring even in the preliminary boxing matches at Arena Paris Nord in Villepinte at the 2024 Olympics are becoming slim by the day. The medal rounds at the Olympics, including the semifinals and finals, will be staged at the iconic Roland Garros Stadium.

Having performed poorly in Dakar, Kenyan boxers will try to qualify for the Olympics via a more competitive route - two final stages of the World Olympics Boxing qualifiers planned for next year.

The first World Olympic Boxing Qualifier will be held in Busto Arsizio, northern Italy, between February 29 and March 12. Altogether, 49 contestants (21 women and 28 men) will battle for Olympics slots in the first world qualifier event.

The second World Olympic Boxing Qualifier will be staged in Bangkok, Thailand, between May 23 and June 3.

The remaining 51 quotas will be shared among athletes in six female and seven male weight categories in Bangkok. These are not easy qualifier matches compared to the bouts Kenyans lost in Dakar.

For the first time in the history of the Olympics, Kenya may not have a boxer at the Games since her first appearance in the Games in 1964, with the late Philip Waruinge claiming a bronze medal in Tokyo in the featherweight category.

“Dakar was our golden opportunity to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games, but we received a devastating knockout blow. Things are looking harder now,” said a boxer who competed in Dakar Olympics qualifiers but preferred anonymity.

He added: “Kenya, which has religiously kept the tradition of featuring in all boxing contests at the Olympic Games, may be watching from the ringside this time round.”

Boxing enthusiasts are warning that the Boxing Federation of Kenya (BFK) face tough tasks of ensuring Kenyan boxers qualify for the Paris Olympics in the remaining two world qualifiers in Italy and Thailand next year.

“I love boxing. I have followed Kenyan boxers in the Olympics like John “Duran” Wanjau, the late Philip Waruinge and his brother Sammy Mbugua, and Isaiah Ikhoni, among others but today there are no big names I can relate to, meaning that there is something wrong with our boxing standards,” Ben Kamau, a boxing lover, told Nation Sport at the once popular ‘Madison Square Garden’ in Nakuru City.

At the Dakar qualifier, Kenya's “Hit Squad” of 12 boxers was overwhelmed by opponents, with only Elizabeth Andiego reaching the final of the middleweight category. She lost to the world champion Khadija El Mardi, who beat her 5-0 on points. Andiego’s performance did not earn her a ticket to Paris, as only gold medalists qualified.

Five Kenyan boxers lost their matches at the quarter-final stage, with the other six kissing the canvas in the preliminaries.

Interestingly, this disastrous performance in Dakar came even after the “Hit Squad” pitched a 10-day training camp in Cuba ahead of the qualifiers.

The team had shown signs of fatigue when it finished 17th at the Africa Championship in Yaounde, which was a sharp decline from last year’s championship in Maputo, where Kenyans won three silver medals and a bronze.

But where did the rain start beating Kenya? Insiders say the popular game needs a massive shot in the arm as it has suffered mismanagement, lack of motivation among boxers, and lack of investment in the sport.

The game is experiencing its worst turbulence at the international levels as top boxers like Nick “Commander” Okoth and heavyweight Elly Ajowi have thrown in the towel.

Okoth, a former “Hit Squad” captain, retired an unhappy man last year after his Sh736,500 cash prize he won at the 2022 Africa Championships in Maputo delayed for more than a year.

BFK absolved itself from the delay but never updated the public until the emdia highlighted Okoth’s matter.

This is not the only shortcoming at BFK. The National Boxing League is a laughing stock and lacks fireworks that made fans follow the league like they do with the English Premier League. League matches have been rocked by poor officiating. The league is keeping the boxers busy without a prize money tag that could motivate the pugilists.

Some of the referees in the league are facilitated by clubs to travel, compromising the standard of officiating as BFK lacks sponsorship.

“With poor sponsorship, we shall continue to go under. Sometimes it is the Boxing Federation of Kenya (BFK) boss Anthony “Jamal” Otieno who bails out the national league by paying for transport and other logistics for self-supporting clubs featuring in the league,” a boxer at one of the self-sponsored teams in Nairobi said.

He continued: “This is not sustainable in the long run and BFK must wake up and look for sponsors. Since 2019 when they assumed office they have nothing to show.”

Another shortcoming that many see as a big hitch is that some of the “Hit Squad” coaches are members of the BFK executive.

“You cannot expect the coaches to draft an independent postmortem report after any international event that could point an accusing finger at them. This must stop and BFK must appoint coaches who are not members of the executive. We need a heavy earthquake at BFK. Without that boxing in Kenya will continue to dwindle,” said a retired boxer.

Interestingly, there has never been any explanation report from the BFK top management on the disastrous performance of “Hit Squad” after an international assignment.

But BFK competition secretary John Waweru believes there is improvement in the game despite Kenya not having qualified a single boxer for the Paris Olympic Games.

“Our participation in the Dakar qualifiers was commendable as five boxers lost in the quarter-finals and one reached the finals and that to me was a good outing,” said Waweru.

On the league front, he said it was competitive despite lacking sponsorship.

“Teams like Kenya Prisons which have claimed a podium place were defeated by Nairobi County and that was a great improvement,” said Waweru.

“We owe our league completion to BFK President who sponsored self-sponsored teams in all the competitions,” said Waweru.

He said the league lacked full participation of women due to a lack of women boxers.

On Kenyan chances of featuring in the Paris Games, he said: “There’s hope even after we missed the gold in Dakar. In the two World qualifiers, the top cream boxers will not participate and we hope for the best.”

“We shall select the best of the best to go for the final World qualifiers in Italy and Thailand. It is our only chance to salvage our image,” said Waweru.

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