Three Kenyans progress to finals at African Boxing Champs

Three Kenyans led by captain Nick ‘Commander’ Okoth advanced to the finals of the Africa Boxing Championships in Maputo, Mozambique after winning their semifinal bouts on Thursday.

Four Kenyans entered the day in contention for places in the final with Samuel Njau and Elizabeth Andiego also progressing but it was end of the road for light middleweight boxer Boniface Maina who lost to Moroccan Hamza El Barbai on a points decision.

Taking the ring for her first shot in the category at the continental stage, Andiego needed only one round to stop South Africa's Mkateko Sithole in their heavyweight bout.

Defending champion Okoth, who represents the Kenya Defence Forces in the local league, sent home Algeria's Walid Tarzout with a dislocated shoulder in the second round of the lightweight category with the match being stopped on medical grounds.

The 38-year-old Olympian Okoth is making his third appearance at the continental event.

Stylish featherweight Africa Zone III champion Njau sent the Zambian Ben Banda parking in the second round after the referee was forced to give standing counts thrice.

Okoth will meet Zambia's Andrew Chilata in Saturday’s final while Andiego has a difficult opponent in the name of Morocco's World silver medallist Khadija El-Mardi. Kenya Defence Forces boxer Njau will fight against local boy Armando Rugoberto Sigauque.

Going into Saturday's finals, the three Kenyans are guaranteed hefty rewards after the AFBC African Elite Boxing Championships announced prize money of Sh1.2 million for the gold medalists, Sh600,000 for the silver medalists and Sh300,000 for the bronze medalists.