Inaugral Pwani Boxing Festival a success as stakeholders call for sponsorship

Nyali’s Francis Oduor and Kisauni’s Hamza Said at the inaugral Pwani Boxing Festival at Mama Ngina Waterfront Park on Friday / JOHN CHESOLI

Kisauni’s Hamza Said and Nyali’s Francis Oduor square it out at the inaugral Pwani Boxing Festival at Mama Ngina Waterfront Park on Friday / JOHN CHESOLI

Kisauni’s Hamza Said and Nyali’s Francis Oduor square it out at the inaugral Pwani Boxing Festival at Mama Ngina Waterfront Park on Friday / JOHN CHESOLI

Kisauni’s Hamza Said and Nyali’s Francis Oduor square it out at the inaugral Pwani Boxing Festival at Mama Ngina Waterfront Park on Friday / JOHN CHESOLI

Thousands of boxing lovers turned up to witness the inaugural Pwani Boxing Festival at the Mama Ngina Waterfront Park on Friday evening as local boxers sparred out.

The referee had to stop the bout as Marion Buyanzi beat Faiza Anzanzi to win her first fight in the Fly weight category, as Kisauni’s Shaban Mohamed saw off Nyali’s Francis Oduor in the Bantam weight category.

In the Welter weight category, Ibra Malik from Mvita constituency beat Jomvu’s Carlos Kame by points to win the bout.

The referee also had to stop the bout to save Nyali’s Ibrahim Maulid from the heavy blows from Mvita’s Ashraf Hakim in the light welter category as Abdalla Juma from Kisauni also saw off Steve Baraka from Nyali.

These are some of the winners of the inaugural boxing festival as Mombasa boxing stakeholders try to revive the sport, which has been on its death bed for a long time.

Mzee Mwinyi, one of the co-organisers of the festival, said the only challenge the boxers have is the lack of facilities.

“These young people are from humble backgrounds. They cannot afford basic training gear. Their only strength is their will. The gyms they train in have no capacity but they still go strong,” Mwinyi said.

“Despite all this, they have trained well, turned up for the festival and showcased to the world their talent in boxing.”

He called on the national and Mombasa county government to embrace the sport and invest in it.

He said the Pwani Boxing Festival has illustrated that boxing is popular at the grassroots and only needs a little bit of support from stakeholders.

“Sports is not only football and athletics. There are many sports that need investing in. The other day we saw a Kenyan put the country on the map in darts. We need to invest more in different sporting disciplines,” the Coast Development Authority chair said.

He said the Pwani Boxing Festival will next be held in April and July next year.

“In December 2026, we will be back here for an even bigger event,” he said.

Chrispin Peter Onyango, the Mombasa Boxing Association secretary general, said sponsorship is the biggest challenge that boxing faces.

Last year, he said, Alliance Francaise in collaboration with the French Embassy, donated a boxing ring and other gear, worth over Sh4 million, to the sport in Mombasa

The entire Mombasa county had no boxing ring.

“That helped a lot. But still we need a lot more. There are many gyms in Mombasa. Many young people embraced boxing after we launched the Ndondi Mashinani initiative to promote the spirit and bring its glory back,” Onyango, who is also the Boxing Federation of Kenya second vice president, said.

He called for sponsors to chip in.

He said most Mombasa boxers lack exposure.

Onyango said boxing in Mombasa alone does not help them become better.

“Last year, we, as Mombasa, participated in very few national boxing events. When we go for those national events, we take only two or three because of lack of finances,” he said.

Juma Mashuhuri, a co-organizer, said the inaugural Pwani Boxing Festival has been a resounding success and the turn out speaks to the love that the sport has from the people of Mombasa.

“We only lack funding and support. The moment we get that much-needed sponsorship, this game will grow exponentially and create employment for thousands of youth, coaches and other people directly and indirectly,” Mashuhuri said.

He noted that the sport caters for all categories and age-groups, which means players can get the discipline that comes with the game from as early an age as 10-years-old.

Leila Said, a boxing referee, said many players have missed games in many places because of lack of funds.

“In Mombasa, we train, do selection but in the end end up remaining in Mombasa and not participating in tournaments outside Mombasa. That is why we seriously need sponsorship,” she said.

She noted that Mombasa has boxing talents but if not nurtured, they will all go to waste.

She said the boxing league in Kenya has five series in different parts if the country.

Often time, Mombasa only participates in the series that are held in Mombasa because they cannot afford to move to other counties due to financial constraints.

“We ask the organizers of the Pwani Boxing Festival should not stop at this. We pray that they get the necessary support to continue holding our hands as the boxing fraternity.

“We also ask that we, as the officials, ne looked at. We also have our own challenges as referees,” she said.