Kenya’s captain Liz Andiego is brimming with confidence ahead of the AFBC Africa Elite Men’s and Women’s Boxing Championships finals today, October 25, at the Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa.
The stakes are high, and Andiego has vowed to defeat Morocco’s Hasna Larti in their light-heavyweight duel. Larti is a rookie making her international debut but that’s not to say it’s going be a walk in the park for Andiego who is appearing in her second finals in the Africa Championships, the first time being in 2022 in Maputo where she lost to Morocco’s celebrated Khadija Mardi in the heavyweight final.
Larti is one of the 1O Moroccans in action in today’s finals with DR Congo having eight finalists to carry the fight to the Moroccans. Whether the hosts will dethrone the defending champions Morocco will be known after today’s schedule. In total, Morocco has 18 finalists and DR Congo has 14.
While Andiego had to dig deep in her reservoir of skill and experience to defeat DR Congo’s Joelle-Marie Mwika in the semi-finals, Larti made it to the finals without throwing a punch, a beneficiary of a bye.
She may be fresh for the fight but warhorse Andiego is not bothered.
“I’m going for gold, I don’t know anything about the Moroccan but will handle her,” says Liz who normally controls the ring with so much authority and confidence.
“I just want to thank my people in Kenya for their support, I couldn’t do this alone without their prayers. I can assure them the gold is coming home,” Andiego told me in an interview at the Belle Vie Hotel in Kinshasa.
“As the team captain, I’m leading by example together with our assistant captain Boni.”
Against Mwika, Andiego fought cautiously and refused to be drawn into close-quarter exchanges with the stronger Mwika who was beaten in last year’s finals of the same event by Morocco’s world champion Khadija Mardi.
“I used my experience, speed work, and footwork to beat Mwika since I know her very well, I’ve watched her severally in in the ring. Maximum respect to her she is a tough opponent.”
Newcomer Clinton Macharia is the other Kenyan boxer fighting today in the super-heavyweight division. He is also meeting a Moroccan opponent, Younes Bouhdid. Macharia, representing the national team for the first time, saw off Angola’s Luvo Jordilson in the semi-finals.
The Moroccans have been very impressive so far with a mixture of technical skills and daring approach in the ring.
Their star boxers, world bronze medalists Yasmine Mouttaki and Widad Bertal will lead the Moroccans from the front as they face DR Congo opponents in the final in their quest to win their second consecutive gold medals.
Mouttaki, the gold medal winner in the 2017 Africa Championships in Congo Brazzaville and last year in Yaounde is a smooth operator with plenty of experience in big-time boxing. She fights Carine Nkelani at light-flyweight
Showboating bantamweight defending champion Bertal meets Merveille Bisambu and is tipped to win her second consecutive gold medal in Africa’s premier boxing tournament.
DR Congo’s Mandela Cup welterweight champion Brigitte Mbabi finally steps into the ring for the first time when she battles Morocco’s Tooutir Mounir. Mbabi, one of the two boxers who represented DR Congo in the Paris Olympics, has a head start against the Moroccan newcomer who will feel the stinging punches of Lubumbashi-based Mbabi who received a bye to the finals.
Also fighting for the first time today are female lightweights, DR Congo’s Zalia Munga, and her neighbour within a shouting distance from Congo Brazzaville, Sandrine Bakora. The two were the only entrants in the female lightweight category.
All in all, 28 boxers in 14 bouts will be in action in the first session of the Africa Championships finals to start later in the day followed by the second session tomorrow, October 26.
