Africa Zone 3 Championships heavyweight champion Elly Ajowi says he is convinced he will secure a spot to represent the country at the forthcoming 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
The National Police Service officer made the remarks on the sidelines of the inaugural President Jamal Boxing championships that kicked off at Charter Hall in Nairobi on Wednesday.
“Of course, I'm expecting intense competition at the President Jamal Boxing Championships. I've seen the list of the contestants and there is a big number of budding boxers who are eager to impress on the national stage for national team selection,” said Ajowi.
“I'm aware of the threat they pose. It wouldn't be wise to underrate anyone at this stage because anything is possible in boxing. However, they'll have to break a lot of sweat in the ring for a place in the Hit squad because we won't make it any easier for them in the trials.”
Ajowi said he got a lot of experience at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games and the World Boxing Championships in Serbia.
“Both Tokyo and Belgrade offered invaluable lessons and although I emerged empty-handed from both tournaments I gathered a wealth of experience that will come in handy in future events. I will employ to charge effectively for the elusive medal at the Birmingham games in July,” said Ajowi.
The pugilist echoed sentiments previously expressed by Hit Squad captain Nick Okoth who said Kenyans had experienced a miserable run in the two major global events after failing to keep in tandem with the dynamic nature of the game.
“We realised that the rules we were subjected to in Tokyo were quite different from those that were used to decide bouts in Belgrade. But what I have learned even more is that we ought to be more aggressive in the ring. We had been approaching our bouts kid-gloves. It's high time we changed that,” said Ajowi.
The boxer said he had continued to punch furiously on the bag after arriving from Belgrade a fortnight ago.
“We only rested for a couple of days before linking up with our respective clubs for training,” he said.
Other than Ajowi, other members of the Hit Squad quartet who flew the country's flag at the Tokyo Games are also expected to take to the ring to defend their fortes. They include featherweight Nicholas Okoth, flyweight Christine Ongare and bantamweight Elizabeth Akinyi.