•Musa said unless the judges were officiating a different bout, it was so clear Ongare had carried the day.
•The threat by Team Kenya to abandon the competition saved the day, Musa added.
Image: FILE
Barely a day after viciously tearing into the organising committee for the Africa Zone 3 Boxing Championships over grave violations of competition rules, Hit Squad head coach Benjamin Musa has re-emerged, even more furious.
The visibly livid tactician said they were subjected to blatant infringement of technical and competition rules that saw Kenyan minimum weight pugilist Christine Ongare robbed of clear victory in broad daylight.
Three judges returned a verdict that declared Ongare's opponent Nyembo Gisele triumphant before the organisers rescinded the decision in the heat of a bitter protest lodged by Team Kenya.
“On Wednesday some of our boxers stepped into the ring and one of them was involved in a fight that generated a lot of heat over questionable officiating,” Musa said.
Musa said unless the judges were officiating a different bout, it was so clear Ongare had carried the day. “She satisfied the criterion used in declaring the winner. She was more aggressive than her opponent, had cleaner punches, and was also the most competitive of the two,” Musa said.
The threat by Team Kenya to abandon the competition saved the day, according to Musa.
“We lodged a protest with the organisers and even threatened to pull out of the show if our concerns were not adequately and promptly addressed,” Musa said.
“Fortunately, we got the audience we deserved and the contentious decision was reversed and we are happy to announce that Ongare will now be battling for a gold medal in the finals on Friday,” Musa said.
Musa said the organisers did well to reverse the verdict because Kenya had actually resolved to opt-out of the competition in protest.
“Such development merely serves to stunt the growth of boxing in our zone and Africa will end up producing half-baked boxers for global assignments,” Musa said.
Musa hopes that the world boxing governing body, AIBA, would sanction the culpable officials.
Joining Ongare in the hunt for gold will be Stacy Ayoma who will flex muscles with Jocelyne Tshamala of DRC in the final of the women's lightweight division after getting a bye in the semi-final.
Everlyne Akinyi is also in contention for the title in the welterweight, where she will face Profina Lembe Kokolo in the final after cruising past Kennedy Luta in the semis.
Another Kenyan, Lorna Kusa, defeated Bwanamoya Mauwa of DRC on points in the light-middleweight semi-final to book a date with Clotilde Essiane of Cameroon in the final.