Kenyan pugilists ramped up their training ahead of the African Boxing Elite Men’s and Women’s Championships, which will kick off on Saturday, the 17th, till the 28th of this month in Kasarani Stadium.
Kenya’s hit squad is comprised of 17 men and 12 women will be in the ring to fight for the coveted medals over the next 12 days buoyed by home fans.
Captained by Boniface Mugunde, the men’s hit squad will compete in all ten weight categories ranging from fly to heavy weight, while their ladies’ counterparts will battle out in six weight categories ranging from minimum to heavy weight.
“It’s a big honor to fight at home; the team’s training has been good, and we hope for the best outing. Am hopeful to retain my title at home,” stated Mugunde.
Hit squad head coach Benjamin Musa has exuded confidence with his boxers’ performance.
“We started training last week, and so far so good. We have a total of 40 boxers whom we selected from the Kenyan Open and from league consistency. Almost half of the members in the team are making their debut, and I am optimistic we will have good performance.” said Musa
According to light weight boxer Bennedicty Juma, who will fight in the 60kg, he is also confident of a good show after training.
“The morale is high, as they have trained well and are ready to shine at home; it’s quite a privilege to cut the team.” said Juma
Boxers from 15 countries will be competing in the championship being held in Kenya for the first time.
