Mbithe sole boxer in action as team laments poor officiating in Anyango duel

Day three of the IBA Women’s World Championships was a memorable one for the right reasons as Kenya registered her first victory since 2010- Commonwealth Games bronze medalist and Olympian Christine Ongare taking just a few seconds inside the second round of the bout to see off East African opponent Rahma Maganga.

It wasn't all positive throughout the day though for Team Kenya.

DEFABA’S Frizah Anyango - in her Championships debut- didn't last long on the ring as she stepped up to meet the 2022 silver medallist in Algeria’s Khelif Imane.

The latter landed a blow to Anyango early in the first round, only for Japanese bout official Richi Igarashi to stop the contest in favor of the Algerian with just a minute erased from the fight.

“I cannot explain what happened there,” a clearly raging Anyango said after the fight. “That is one of the strangest things I have seen so far in boxing. One shot and the fight is done?

“We need a better explanation of what happened because that was so unfair.”

The pool report indicated a win via stoppage that was called with 2:13 left in the first round, a decision the team coach Benjamin Musa also protested at the end of business on Saturday.

“Good start to the day of course but that second fight was so demoralizing,” Musa said. “The officiating there was terrible and uncalled for. I talked to the Technical Delegate ringside about the referee’s call and to my surprise, he was in agreement with me that that was an error call.

‘It's so sad that some games are being determined way before the action and this just proves it. We can't do anything at the moment but just move on and encourage the girl after the rude welcome to the big stage.”

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That is not the first time the Kenyan contingent has raised questions about the level of officiating in the games, with Amina Martha’s bout as per the Kenyan boxers and Team manager being wrongly called and decided.

Anyango was the seventh Hit Squad member to suffer defeat, with Sunday offering opportunity for Veronica Mbithe as she takes on Colombia’s Valencia Victoria Ingrit in the elite women’s light flyweight category.

“Hey, the last few days have taught us a lot,” Mbithe said early Sunday. “Top of my list is you have to do away with judges making a call on your bout. That means if at all we [Africans] are going to win, we will have to do it via stoppage. That's a better place to be at.”

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Mbithe believes that her previous experiences of sizing up with a southpaw boxer will come in handy against her Colombian opponent who has the same style and will do everything possible to get win number two for Kenya.

Session 7B begins from 1200 EAT.