🇬🇭 African Games Boxing Tournament in Accra, Ghana, March 15-22
KENYA’S EDWIN OKONG’O LEADS THE WAY FOR THE EAST AFRICANS
Kenya’s Edwin Okong’o became the first East African boxer to land in the African Games boxing finals in Accra with a unanimous points victory over Algerian rookie Ghazli Ahmed in the middleweight berth.
Okong’o will now take on Morocco’s Elourz Yassine who saw off Ethiopia’s Neka Temesgen in the other middleweight semi-final.
It was mixed fortunes for the East Africans with Uganda’s two boxers, minimumweight Innocent Tumusiime and featherweight Kassim Murungi, and Tanzania’s light Ezra Paul shown the door.
Tumusiime lost to DR Congo’s Zola Tulembekwa, Murungi was beaten by Mozambican Armando Sigauque and Ezra narrowly lost to Zambia’s 2022 Africa champion Andrew Chilata after a review.
Today four more East Africans climb through the ropes for their semi-final bouts.
Tanzania’s Commonwealth and Africa bronze medallist Yusuf Changalawe is faced with a more arduous task among the four when he battles Africa champion and a silver medallist at the 2019 African Games Pita Kabeji of DR Congo at light-heavyweight with his compatriot, Musa Maregesi taking on Algeria’s Kanouni Ousama at cruiserweight, Uganda’s light-middleweight Muzamir Semuddu meets Egypt’s Omar Elsayed and Kenya’s female bantamweight Amina Martha facing tough Nigerian southpaw Shukura Kareem.
The East African boxers are going through gold medal drought in the African Games, the last gold coming from Kenya’s Suleiman Bilali at the 2007 Games in Algiers.
📸 Through prayers, Kenya’s Edwin Okong’o is relying on the Almighty power to give Kenya and East Africa their first boxing gold medal in 17 years in the African Games (Photo courtesy Star newspaper)
✍🏼 AFBC Communications