In Nis, Serbia
Experienced Team Kenya captain Elizabeth Andiego is one step away from the prize money bracket after being ranked top in the light-heavyweight category at the IBA Women’s World Championships and given a bye to Thursday’s quarter-finals.
At Saturday night’s draw for this year’s competition that gets underway at 6pm (local time, or 8pm Kenyan time) on Sunday evening at the Cair Sports Centre in Central Nis, another Kenyan fighter, Amina Martha, was seeded third and earned passage to the Round of 16.
Andiego now awaits the winner of the Round of 16 clash between China’s Wang Xiaomeng and Kazakhstan’s Gulsaya Yerzhan to fight for a place in the last four.
“We will just take it one bout as a time and handle the different opponents as they come. As you know, with amateur fights, you don’t have much time to study your opponents,” she told Nation Sport after the draw.
At these championships organized by the International Boxing Association (IBA), winners take home a cash award of $100,000 (Sh13 million) each with the cash trickling down to fifth-placed boxers, meaning that Andiego is just one win away from securing at least $25,000 (Sh3.2 million) if she goes past her quarters match and gets into the semis.
Silver medalists will take home $50,000 (Sh6.4 million), bronze medalists $25,000 (Sh3.2 million) while boxers finishing fifth will bank $10,000 (Sh1.3 million) each.
To be eligible for prize money, an athlete must win at least one bout at these championships.
Team Kenya captain, light-heavyweight Elizabeth Andiego (third, left), with other flagbearers during the opening ceremony of the IBA Women's World Boxing Championships in Nis, Serbia, on March 8, 2025.
Photo credit: Pool | IBA
In the bantamweight class, third seed Martha moves into the Round of 16, awaiting the Round of 32 winner between Tunisia’s Islem Ferchichi and Karina Tazabekova of Russia.
Light-flyweight Veronica Mbithe will be up against Kazakhstan’s Alua Balkibekova, a two time medallist at the Women’s World Championships – silver at the 2022 edition in Istanbul, Turkey, and bronze in 2023 in Amman, Jordan.
The Round of 32 fight winner will then face Morocco’s Mouttaki Yasmine who has been given a bye into the Round of 16.
Flyweight Lencer Akinyi - a product of BoxGirls Kenya, a community-based organization that helps underprivileged Kenyan girls live dignified lives - takes on South Africa’s 27-year-old Mathiba Thandolwethu in the Round of 32.
In the lightweight class, Emily Juma fights Slovakia’s Miroslava Jedinakova in the Round of 16 while in the light-welterweight, Cynthia Mwai is up against Miriam Hernandez Gonzalez of Mexico also in a Round of 16 clash.
Friza Anyango has been drawn against Tamara Kubalova of Slovakia in a Round of 16 clash whose winner proceeds to face Turkey’s Surmeneli Busenaz in the quarters.
Kenya’s head coach here, Benjamin Musa, reacted to the draw by describing it as “not easy.”
“It’s not an easy draw. We have been drawn against very, very good opponents, especially those from the Asian region. But to be at the top, you must defeat boxers who are at the top,” the veteran coach said, quickly adding that his boxers are ready and will give a good account of themselves.
“Elizabeth has been seeded Number One in the light heavyweight category, which is not her usual category, and she will certainly have a tough fight against either the Chinese or Kazakhstan opponent,” he dissected the draw.
“Amina has also been seeded Number Three due to her exposure and the many competitions she has been able to attend and perform well, getting the points. We generally expect good fights. Tough but good.
“The seedings look at every tournament because you get points at each tournament and that’s what is considered to give one a ranking when the seeding is done,” the coach explained.
“First, I will talk to my boxers about their opponents. We shall sit down, analyse videos of the opponents and that’s where “Sugar Ray” comes in handy (with the videos),” he explained, referring to Boxing Kenya Federation’s communications chief and video analyst, Duncan “Sugar Ray” Kuria.
“We shall look at the videos and analyse them so that we can come up with a strategy on how to approach our opponents. We need to focus on each opponent and to know the approach we shall employ while also looking at our prospective future opponents,” Juma summed up.
Apart from Mbithe whose fight is on the opening night on Sunday, all the other Kenyans will be in action on Tuesday,March 11, save for Akinyi and Chege,who enter the ring on Monday.
Draw for Kenya’s boxers at the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships (fights start at 6pm local time = 8pm Kenyan time on Sunday):
Light flyweight: Veronica Mbithe vs Alua Balkibekova (Kazakhstan);
