Former Africa Boxing Union (ABU) middleweight champion Rayton ‘Boom Boom’ Okwiri is expected to compete for the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) Africa gold title in Nairobi on November 28.
Okwiri, making a return after a year’s absence, will fight the undefeated Nathaniel Suppey from Ghana at the SportPesa UFS Boxing Series in Nairobi. The event will feature 12 bouts.
“Professionals train daily, and I’ve been doing so, six days a week, waiting for a quality bout to come along,” said the Kenya Prisons Service sergeant. The bout will pit experience against youth.
Okwiri,40, has 12 wins, including seven knockouts, as well as one draw and one loss, while Suppey,24, has won all 10 of his professional bouts, nine of which were knockouts.
“Training is going well, with my main focus being on speed and footwork,” said Okwiri, who is training at the AV Fitness Kenya Gymnasium in Nairobi.
Okwiri has an amateur record of 27 bouts –16 wins and 11 losses. His major highlight was in 2016 when he won gold at the Africa qualifiers for the Rio Olympics, beating Walid Sedik Mohamed of Egypt in the welterweight final.
Okwiri represented Kenya at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, losing in the round of 32, but went on to win bronze at the 2011 Africa Games after losing to Joseph Mulema of Cameroon in the semis. Mulema beat Nigeria’s Kehinde Ademuyima in the final.
Okwiri took professional boxing scene by storm, winning five consecutive bouts before claiming a third-round victory against Hussein Itaba of Tanzania for the ABU middleweight title on June 8, 2019 at the Nairobi Charter Hall.
Kenya's Rayton Okwiri (right) fights Uganda's Muhamad Sebyala in eight-round middleweight Commonwealth Boxing Ccouncil elimination bout on November 21, 2025 at at MassHouse, Ngong Racecourse, Nairobi.
Photo credit: Pool
Okwiri relinquished the ABU title when he opted to return to the amateur level in the hope of securing a place in the national team for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which were postponed to 2021 due to the outbreak of Covid-19.
He returned in 2021, winning two bouts, before making an attempt at the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) International Super Welterweight belt. He lost to Congolese Emmany Kalombo on June 30, 2022 in South Africa. This was Okwiri’s only defeat in his professional career.
He bounced back to win the World Alliance Boxing Association (WABA) Supreme Africa Middleweight title on September 9, 2023, beating Chikodi Makawa at the Nyayo stadium.
Kenya’s Rayton Okwiri (left) and Chikondo Makawa of Malawi joined by Kenya Professional Boxing Commission chairman Reuben Ndolo (centre) and Cliff Mboya, General Manager Finix Sports during the weigh-in on September 8, 2023.
Photo credit: Pool |
This will be Suppey’s first fight outside of Ghana. He has won two fights this year: a second-round knockout against Ahmed Akrong in June and a split decision against Prince Kamaldeen Mohammed in April. The event will feature eight title fights. Fighters from Kenya, Ghana, Argentina, Colombia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tanzania and Uganda will compete.
The highlight will be the Universal Boxing Organisation (UBO) world lightweight title fight between Kenya’s Javan Buyu (8-0-0) and Pakistani Kamran Abdul Wahab (11-10-10). James “Lionheart” Mugeni (9-2-0) of Kenya will take on the undefeated Frank Bichahugae (6-0-0) of Tanzania for the WBA Africa Super Bantamweight title.
In one of the women’s title bouts, Catherine Nanziri (Uganda) (9–0–0) will face Halima Vunjabei (Tanzania) (17–16–0) for WBA Africa Super Bantamweight belt. In another, Argentina’s Florencia “La Avispa” Aldana (16–0–0) will collide with South Africa’s Soboois “Lova” Sibulele (6–0–0) in a WBA Minimumweight World title eliminator.
