WELTERWEIGHT FRIZA ANYANGO AT DAKAR 2024 OLYMPIC QUALIFIERS
Kenya bounced back into contention as Nigeria’s Dolapo Omole wiped out Ghana’s Abdul Wahib with Africa champion Soulamaine Samghouli of Morocco bowing out of the ongoing Africa Olympic boxing qualifiers in Dakar, Senegal on Monday, September 10.
After a bad day in the office on Sunday when all the four boxers in action lost their fights, Kenya redeemed its image in Monday’s last 16 bouts with welterweight Friza Anyango, heavyweight Peter Abuti and flyweight David Karanja fighting like wounded lions to power their way to the quarter-finals and lift up the sprits of their teammates as the East African bragging rights battle intensified.
Friza, finally won her first international fight by stopping Senegal’s Cheick Mbaye, in the second round to set up a quarter-final encounter against DR Congo’s 2022 Africa silver medallist Brigitte Mbabi, on Wednesday.
Asked on her prospects against the Kenyan, Mbabi said: ‘Mimi nitawina, nitamupiga’ (I’m going to win, I’ll beat her).
Heavyweight Abuti dominated Egypt’s Eman Abdellatif, on his way to a unanimous 5-0 victory and now meets Julio Gabriel Albino of Mozambique, in the quarters while Karanja trades leather with Tunisia’s Eddine Zidi, following a hard-fought 3-2 win over Namibia’s Tuuyen Johannes, with featherweight Pauline Chege fighting like a real soldier before dropping a close 3-2 verdict to Senegal’s Mariatou Diallo.
Not to be outshone by Kenya, their neighbors and bitter rivals in the ring, Uganda’s boxers, lightweight Joshua Takamuhebwa and flyweight Shafik Mawanda punched their way to the last eight. Takamuhebwa stopped Gabon’s Farlo Ndjinga in the second round and meets Tunisia’s Mehdi Didi while Mawanda hammered Senegal’s Mamadou Pape 5-0.
Tanzania’s flyweight Abdallah Mohammed joined Yusuf Changalawe and Grace Mwakamele in the quarters by outpointing Egypt’s Mou Abdallah Emman, 5-0 but heavyweight Musa Maregesi was booted out of the qualifiers by Senegal’s Karamba Khebe.
Nigeria’s hard-hitting Dolapo Omole, who made his international debut in the Africa Championships in Yaounde, caused an upset by whipping Ghana’s experienced two-time Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Abdul Wahib, 5-0 at featherweight and now meets tough Namibian Morning Ndevelo in the quarters. The Nigerians generally did well on Monday with Africa heavyweight champion Adam Olaore beating Youzan Zahouli of Cote d’Ivoire.
Algeria’s two-time Africa champion Jugurtha Ait Bekka takes on Ghana’s Commonwealth Games silver medalist Joseph Commey, in what promises to be an explosive lightweight quarter-final on Wednesday, September 13, after the Algerian beat Collen Sheitsiro of Botswana, and Commey outpointed Burkina Faso’s Romanc Basso.
Africa champion Soulaimane Samghouli, bowed out of the tournament, going down 3-2 to Armando Sigauque of Mozambique. With that win, Sigauque earned ample revenge over the Moroccan who beat him the semi-finals of the Africa Championships in Yaounde.
Today, September 12, is a rest day. Action resumes on Wednesday with the quarter-finals. One of the eagerly awaited bouts is the middleweight duel between Morocco’s World champion, Khadija Mardi, and two-time Africa champion Rady Gramane of Mozambique. This one is too close to call but ring analysts tip Mardi to get the better of Gramane using her reach advantage to keep the shorter Mozambican at bay.
by AFBC Communications
