•Cosby lost his place for the Africa Olympic Qualifiers in Dakar, Senegal to pro boxer Rayton Okwiri who was preferred in the middleweight class.
•“I can’t say I was happy but again, yes Okwiri is a good and seasoned boxer and has many great experiences on international scenes,"—Cosby
With no prior experience, career policeman George Cosby Ouma made his big stage arrival on the Kenyan boxing scene last year and became an instant celebrity.
Not only did the southpaw boxer leave his opponents for the dead in the 2019 Kenya Open but became the youngest member of the boxing team which travelled to Morocco for the All African Games.
And with only the Kenya Open Championship title under his belt, a constable attached to the Railways Police surprised all and sundry when he clinched bronze medal in Rabat’s All African Games on his very first national team outing.
“It was such a great feeling being part of the games in Morocco and coming back with a medal. It was my very first appearance at the big stage and knowing that I would meet experienced boxers made me work even harder. Now I am hoping to make the team to the final Olympic qualifiers initially scheduled for Paris, France before coronavirus pandemic had the event postponed. But all in all, I’m still determined to win a slot for Tokyo.”
Cosby lost his place for the Africa Olympic Qualifiers in Dakar, Senegal to pro boxer Rayton Okwiri who was preferred in the middleweight class.
“I can’t say I was happy but again, yes Okwiri is a good and seasoned boxer and has many great experiences on international scenes. The essence for now is to focus. For me, I put my trust in God and I know he will open doors for me. Faith without action is dead. So as much as I put my trust in God, I work hard too and follow instructions from my handlers.”
Cosby started boxing in Kisumu under the guidance of coach Lawrence Odhiambo (Jaoko) in 2016.
Prior to that, he used to accompany his father Jotham Ouma Onyango to boxing events while a pupil at Lake Primary School in Kisumu. “Dad played for Kisumu and Dallas teams. He noticed my interest and passion for boxing and opted to encourage me. I used to follow him to the gym to catch a glimpse of his action. That’s how my southpaw stance came into being. Another thing is that for the basic boxing part of it, most of the time he could encourage me to continue fighting and focus on the game. That is after he left boxing.”
When All African Games trials were held, Cosby won the championship to earn a slot for his debut in Morocco games.
Image: FILE
“All African Games plans for the national team had been kick-started and Kenya had to present boxers for competition. As is the tradition, before boxers are chosen for international events, they have to undergo national trials before earning slots in the squad.
I knew this would be a chance of a lifetime so I gave it my all. I believe in hard work and so my medal in Rabat did not just come on a silver platter. I had to strive to attain it.”
So what makes Cosby tick?
“Hardwork and guidance from the national team coaches Benjamin Musa and David Munuhe have been really helpful since they believed in me from the word go.”
During this time of corona, Cosby has tried as much as possible to keep his body in shape by doing home workout. Prior to Rabat, Cosby had only fought locally with no international experience. But he believed in himself.
“It was just fun since this was my first time to meet new people from different countries. I believe God will open more doors and I have faith I will represent the country at the Olympics Games when the time is right. I’m still young so if I don’t get the Tokyo ticket there are more to come.”
Boxing too is part of my job and I am very grateful that my bosses have given me an enabling environment to do what I love most.”
Being a southpaw, Cosby believes he has an edge over his orthodox counterparts.
“Southpaw are left handed and left handed boxers are better fighters than their right handed counterparts because they catch them off guard on several occasions.”
Apart from boxing, Cosbys other hobby is music. He admires boxer Lomachenko, who is a Ukrainian.
“Lomachenko is such a great boxer. He is one pugilist you enjoy watching and he never disappoints with his technical finesse,” Cosby said.
COSBY’S BIO
Name: George Cosby Ouma
Date of Birth: 14th October 1996
Stance: Southpaw
Current Weight Division: Middleweight
Previous Club (s): Kisumu (2016-2017)
Current Club: Police Chafua Chafua (2017 to date)
Occupation: Constable at Railways Police
National Team Debut: Debutant
Club Coach: David Munuhe
Hobbies: Music and Boxing
2020 Goal: To qualify for 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games next year
Career Highlights
1. Youngest boxer in Morocco-bound Kenya team for All African Games
2. 2019 all African Games bronze medal (international)
3. 2019 middle weight champion (local)