Okong'o sets sights on even bigger things after conquering Africa

Several years ago, Edwin Okong’o would surreptitiously separate from his fellow students en route to a church service and clandestinely enter a neighbouring gym to refine his boxing techniques.

Today, the newly promoted Kenya Air Force sergeant is the proud owner of a gold medal he clinched at the 2023 African Games that wrapped up in Accra, Ghana, about 10 days ago.

Okong’o garnished his cabinet with the coveted gold after schooling Morocco’s Yassine Elouarz in the ring during the enthralling finale at the Bukom Boxing Arena.

The gallant soldier cruised to victory on the back of a resounding 3-1 score in the men’s middleweight 75kg category.

In an exclusive interview last week, Okong’o acknowledged that his path to glory was inundated with a host of difficulties, having faced tough and daring opponents from the start of the hotly-contested continental event.

“My title-winning journey was never a walk in the park. I was pitted against North Africans since the beginning, but I always believed I was up to the challenge,” said Okong’o.

He turned the tables on the more fancied North African opponents, who are considered Africa’s finest, including famous victories over Tunisia’s Helal Mohamed Habib in the quarter-finals and Algeria’s Ahmed Abdelrraouf Ghazi in the semi-finals.

“Winning the medal came as a surprise, even to me. I never expected to attain such heights. But again, I deserved the feat because I had worked extremely hard in training. I appreciate the good job the coaches did to help me polish my skills,” Okong’o remarked.

He lavished praise on his cousins Nick ‘Commander’ Okoth and Absalom ‘Diblo’ Okinyi for inspiring him to take up boxing.

“I owe a lot to them because they held my hand and walked me through the tough journey,” he said.

Okong’o reckons a commitment he made to his coaches on the eve of his bout set him on a course to the landmark victory.

“I remember I met with my coaches (Benjamin) Musa and Patrick ‘Mont’ Waweru on the streets of Accra on the eve of my fight. They asked me where I was going and I told them I was searching for a barber shop to get my hair done so that I could look brilliant in the ring as I hunted for a medal. I got my hair done and clinched the medal,” Okong’o stated.

“After winning the title, we all reminisced about the incident and laughed heartily together. The coaches told me that I was right in saying the haircut would inspire me to win a medal,” Okong’o said amid a chuckle.

This historic achievement marked Kenya’s first in 17 years since Suleiman Bilali won the gold at the Abuja games. The feat earned Okong’o an instant promotion to sergeant at the Kenya Air Force where he had served in the rank of corporal for a while.

“I felt honoured when I was awarded the Certificate of Commanders’ Commendation and promoted to the rank of sergeant by Kenya Air Force commander Major General John Omenda.

With the Africa Games gold already safely tucked away in his bag, Okong’o now has his sights firmly trained on bigger things.

“I’ve always dreamt of gracing the Commonwealth Games and that’s what I’m working on at the moment. I wish to be part of the team that will travel for the games in 2026,” Okong’o stated.

“But my immediate target is to secure a ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympics. I will be fighting for a slot at the upcoming second-world qualifiers in Thailand next month,” he added.

As he basks in the limelight and glory, it is not lost on him that he had to surmount inevitable odds while navigating the stormy waters to stardom.

He recalls how he had to evade his hawk-eyed teachers and schoolmates to sneak into a nearby gym where he hammered away indefatigably to shape his career as a pugilist.

“My urge to become a boxer began when I was still a pupil at St. Teresa’s Primary School. Being in a Catholic school, we were required to attend mass every Thursday, from 8 am to 10 am. I would sneak into a boxing gym at the nearby Undugu Social Hall to train while other pupils attended service,” Okong’o remarked.

“In the process, I met and eventually became so close with coach Musa, who encouraged me to pursue a career in boxing.”

At some point in his career, Okong’o faced a dilemma, unsure whether to continue pursuing boxing or try his hand at basketball as advised by a teacher who asked him to consider shifting from the ring to the court.

“I lost track a little bit when I joined high school where the teachers encouraged me to take up basketball because I had the height needed to play the game,” Okong’o stated.

So brilliant were his exploits in basketball that he was offered a partial scholarship to pursue studies at the Pioneer School.

“I didn’t accept the scholarship because I was unable to raise the amount required by the college. I had other siblings who were attending school and my parents were not well off. They couldn’t pay my college fee and I had to drop the idea of joining Pioneer,” he added.

“Meanwhile, my success in basketball had elicited a lot of interest in my younger brothers who went on to play the sport at a competitive level. My brother, Derrick Ochieng is a member of the Morans — the men’s national basketball team.”

He managed to reunite with the love of his life some years later after giving it a deep thought.

“My interest in boxing was triggered again after finishing high school in 2008. I went back to Undugu and started training again.

“In 2013, I got a chance to join the Kenyatta Hospital boxing club, where I would earn allowances after every bout.

“My breakthrough in the sport came in 2014 when I landed a contract with the Kenya Defence Forces boxing club, Defaba. Fortunately, we clinched the national title that same year and the KDF bosses were so impressed to the extent that we were recruited to serve in the forces. I opted to join the Kenya Air Force,” Okong’o stated.

His father, Shadrack Okong’o and mother, Gladys Okong’o, had conflicting views about his decision to plunge fully into boxing.

“My father, who was a mechanic, encouraged me to pursue boxing. He had already witnessed the successes of my cousins who travelled with the national team and came back with medals. My mother felt I had taken the wrong path,” Okong’o remarked.

“I wish to tell the budding boxers to exercise a lot of patience and work extremely hard if they want to succeed in the sport. I’ve gone through a lot to reach where I am. I could have easily given up but I chose to be strong and picked up the pieces when things went astray.”

Okong’o has persevered through some awkward situations in his stellar and exciting journey.

“It has not been plain sailing. I’ve suffered some knockouts — actually two. The first one was in 2013 during the national boxing league in Nakuru. As I struggled to stand, the first thing I saw was a journalist, who had jutted his head into the ring to take a good shot of me with his camera,” he said.

“I got worried because I knew my photo would be on the pages of the country’s newspapers and everyone would see how I was knocked down. My fears turned real the following day when I saw my picture splashed everywhere on the pages of the newspapers.”

The towering pugilist singled out American icon Evander Hollyfield as his role model.

“I’ve always drawn immense inspiration from Evander Hollyfield. We have a lot in common, including a huge body frame.”

Okong’o said he is not much into social life and values a private life. He prefers setting aside his free time for his family, especially his five-year-old daughter.

“I spend my free time with my family at home, especially with my daughter Natalie,” Okong’o remarked.

Former Hit Squad captain Nick Okoth — Okong’o’s cousin — said he gradually introduced him to the sport.

“I had just begun hustling and managed to rent a cheap house that cost Sh500 per month. Okong’o would pay me frequent visits and took a keen interest in what I was doing. There were times he could accompany me to the gym. That’s how he developed a liking for boxing,” Okoth said.

Musa said he feels great to witness Okong’o’s tremendous growth as a pugilist after honing his skills from a tender age.

“I knew Okong’o through his cousins Okoth and Diblo, who were my trainees. At that time, he was still so passionate about basketball and I talked him into joining boxing because he had a huge body frame,” Musa stated.

“He eventually agreed and started practising alongside his cousins at Undugu, where I was the coach. He is a quick learner, which made him make quick strides in the sport.”

It wasn’t long before I threw him into the deep end. I included him in the Nairobi-select team that travelled to Uganda and, surprisingly, he won the title after outsmarting seasoned boxers from Tanzania and Uganda,” Musa recalled.