Hit Squad super heavyweight boxer Elly Ajowi has vowed to punch ferociously for the coveted gold at the upcoming Africa Zone 3 Boxing championships in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.
Head coach Benjamin Musa has called up a star-studded list of boxers who have been diligently honing their skills in a non-residential camp at the Mathare Depot in Nairobi for a week now.
They include the illustrious fighter who plies trade for the National Police Service boxing team 'Chafua Chafua' on the local front.
Ajowi astonishingly dropped out of contention for the championship in Kinshasa, Congo, last year after failing to advance past the preliminary round.
He has now promised to repeat his legendary performance in 2021 when he made the top step of the podium after dethroning Cameroonian ruthless puncher Yegnong Maxime in their rivetting three-round final bout.
“I’ve intensified my preparations and my target is to clinch a gold medal in Tanzania. It was painful to have lost the title last year but I’m sure of reclaiming it this time around,” Ajowi said.
Last year, Ajowi was on a tear, running over his opponents at whim to scoop all five circuits of the Kenya National Boxing League.
His vintage performance at the country’s premier boxing showpiece effectively handed him the super heavyweight division’s overall title.
“The fact that nobody could stop me in all five events means I still have what it takes to make the country proud on the international stage. I know my performance fell below expectations in Kinshasa last year but I promise to return home with a medal this year,” Ajowi said.
Ajowi acknowledged that his transition to the super heavyweight division, where he quickly established dominance, was the result of a team strategy. He had no choice but to comply when the technical bench persuaded him to make room for teammate Joseph Wasike.
“When we traveled to the DRC tournament in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I decided to move up so that my compatriot Wasike could compete in the heavyweight division,” he said.
However, Ajowi has made suggestions that he might return to sailing in his more familiar territories after nearly two years spent navigating the unknown seas.
He will be scrambling to secure a seat on the plane to the Paris 2024 Olympics, where he hopes to atone for a torrid outing at the 2020 Tokyo Games that saw him return home empty-handed.
“I’ll be back in the heavyweight division for the upcoming Olympics and I’m crossing my fingers for a successful performance this time around,” Ajowi said.
