Abuti carries Kenya's only Olympic Games boxing hopes

There is a high likelihood that Kenya will, for the first time in six decades, miss out on sending a boxing representation to the Olympic Games should heavyweight Peter Abuti fail to make the cut for this year’s summer extravaganza.

Abuti is Kenya’s last man standing after a dismal Second World Qualification Tournament outing in Bangkok saw all his teammates drop by the wayside, leaving his bout with Polish Mateusz Bereznick the last resort for the country’s hopes.

So far, five Kenyan boxers, including Boniface Mogunde, Edwin Okong’o, Amina Martha, Elizabeth Andiego, and Frieza Anyango, have all been knocked out.

Yesterday, the Olympic dream of ten other African boxers was shattered after losing their fights, including Kenya’s welter Friza Anyango, who went down 5-0 to Emillie Sonvico of France.

If Abuti, who will climb into the ring later today, is eliminated, then it means that for the first time since the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, there will be no Kenyan boxer at the Summer Olympic Games.

In Kenya’s Olympic Games success, boxing was the number two sport after athletics, but for 36 years now, Kenya has not won a medal in the quadrennial, and now Kenya must find an urgent remedy to arrest the sport’s declining fortunes.