Kenya’s Okwiri Ready To Go Past Ugandan Kavuma

Kenya’s middleweight boxer Rayton Okwiri is confident of beating Ugandan David Ssemujju Kavuma in the second round of the Africa qualifiers for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Dakar, Senegal.

Okwiri outclassed Libya’s Emhemed Salem Elmagasbi to book a match against Kavuma, who had to say bye to the second round.

“It was important that I got the first win for Team Kenya in our opening match,” he said in his post-match interview in Dakar, Senegal.

“I had several challenges in the ring mostly to do with the difficulty in breathing due to the humidity in Dakar. I was able to dominate all the three rounds and win on a unanimous decision but that’s nothing close to my best,” remarked Okwiri.

“I have to adjust for the next fight against the Ugandan boxer and adapt a new game plan. I felt a bit heavy, sort of a burning sensation on my chest.  This could be a change of climate. But we are going to work on that with my coaches for the next one,” he concluded.

Before dropping from professional ranks, Okwiri’s last international assignment was at the Rio Olympics in 2016 where he failed to reach the knockout stages of the welterweight matches.

Previously, Okwiri was ranked fourth in the welterweight in the APB championships by the world boxing governing body, AIBA.

On Friday evening, Kenya’s lightweight category fighter Joseph Shigali will take on Omar Abdul Wahib from Ghana while Featherweight Beatrice Akoth will fight it out with Ali Rama Said Ahmed from Somalia.

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