Praxides Anyango crowned East African champion in Nairobi boxing thriller
Reading Time: 5min | Sat. 28.03.26. | 13:45
The 35-year-old preserved her unbeaten record, and added another belt to her PST title
Kenya’s Praxides Anyango was crowned the new East and Central African super-featherweight champion to cap a thrilling night of boxing at Masshouse, Ngong on Friday, 27 March.
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Fighting in Kalakoda Promotions’ “Nightmare in Nairobi III” main event, the diminutive 35-year-old shrugged off an inferior Halima Bandola of Tanzania to secure her second belt via unanimous decision.
Anyango, who also holds the Pugilist Syndicate of Tanzania (PST) title, was forced to dig deep in all 10 rounds of a rugged battle with the tactically-inept Bandola (2-9-1), doing just enough to convince the three judges, who all scored the bout 91-99 in her favour.
The win, celebrated wildly by the capacity crowd who braved the long cold night, extended Anyango’s perfect record to 11-0-0, placing her on top of the regional mountain in her category.
“I thank God and Kalakoda for giving me this opportunity,” Anyango, dressed in all white, said moments after receiving her East African title from Kenya Professional Boxing Commission (KPBC) President Reuben Ndolo. “It has been a long way coming, but thanks to my coach Julius Odhiambo and the entire team, we finally did it.”
In a rare occurrence in Kenya’s pro-boxing scene, Anyango’s headline event was one of three women fights on the night, which had been organized strategically to shine the light on female boxers during Women’s Month.
The other bout deservedly descended upon arguably Kenya’s most decorated amateur female boxer - Elizabeth Andiego - who made a commanding statement on her pro-debut with a points victory over Tanzania’s Sabrina Abubakary Mbwewe in a four-round super middleweight clash.
Andiego, who last month saw her opponent withdraw at the last minute, gave fans a glimpse of what they missed out on as she took control of a stop-start contest from the opening bell, leaving poor Mbwewe (2-4-0) to result in time-wasting antics.
Those sideshows were not going to cut it however, as the much superior Andiego got her professional career off to a flying start.
Anushka Loggenberg, fighting in the opening bout of the night, meanwhile made her debut in similar fettle, edging Tanzania’s Sijali John via unanimous decision (40-36, 40-36, 40-36).
Boasting a stacked nine-fight card, Kalakoda perhaps offered the best night of boxing since their first event in November, given the big battles that were witnessed across the board in the men’s fights.
The pick of the night was a pound-for-pound lightweight battle pitting Kenya’s Nicholas ‘Makaveli’ Mwangi and Uganda’s Ronald Jemba, which went the full eight rounds.
Mwangi, seeking a first win since 2024, looked to have shored up a pretty easy victory when he connected a right hook in the fourth round to send his man flat on the canvas.
Despite all indications pointing to a straight knock-out, the referee offered Jemba a chance to beat the eight-count, and the crowd was astonished to see the 24-year-old given the greenlight to continue with the fight, despite his hobbled stance.
Mwangi however failed to take his chance, giving Jemba (1-5-0) a new breath of life, which he used to force the Kenyan on his backfoot until the very end.
Having scored the knockdown and dominated the first four rounds, Mwangi was announced victor via unanimous decision (80-67, 78-69, 80-67).
“I was not going to settle till I secured this win,” an ecstatic Mwangi, spotting conspicuous red and white trunks said post-fight. “I had an intense eight-week program coming here and I am glad that it was all worth it.”
The Dubai-based man, who has since relocated back to Kenya, however had pointed words towards Jemba, criticizing him for his “dirty tricks.”
“My opponent was dirty,” Mwangi, whose record now stands at 14-6-3, said. “He showed me some dirty tricks but I remained calm. Even though I went off-key a bit, I did not show my anger.”
Hammer and tongs were similarly exchanged in a thrilling welterweight contest between Brian ‘BMB’ Munyolo and his compatriot McGregor Njoroge, which ended in a minority draw.
Munyolo, making his first ring return since 2024, was off the blocks quick, sending the understated Njoroge down in the first round.
The Mombasa-based boxer however did not go down easily, as he regained his composure to push Munyolo to the brink, in what was a frenetic six rounds of full action.
In the middleweight category, Kenya’s Stephen Olang maintained his perfect record as he stunned Uganda’s Ronald Miiro with a unanimous points victory (60-54, 60-54, 60-54).
Olang, who had a decorated career as an amateur, took some time to crack the more experienced Miiro, but upped the pressure in the last rounds with a flurry of shots to take his record to 5-0-0.
Speaking after his win, the 30-year-old said: “Was not an easy fight, but got going at the end to take the win.”
On his prospects, he added: “I am now aiming for the East and Central African title. That is what I want.”
Kenyan super-lightweight Emmanuel ‘El Toro’ Chivoli however did not have his fight easy, as he was pushed to a slim points win over Uganda’s Pasco Lukwago in the co-main event.
Chivoli, fighting in his second Kalakoda event, found it difficult against a rough Lukwago, who ran him rugged across the ring, and surprisingly left him bloodied at the end of the fifth round.
The win, scored 59-55, 60-54, 60-54, was Chivoli’s eighth in his pro-career.
There were also wins for Kenya’s Albert Kimario and South Africa’s Felix Loggenberg as they all won via second-round TKOs in their respective featherweight and super welterweight bouts against the pair of Ibrahim Odhiambo and Musa Mugisha.
Full Nightmare in Nairobi III results
Super Featherweight - Praxides Anyango (KEN) vs Halima Bandola (TZ) - Praxides won by UD (91-99, 91-99, 91-99)
Super Lightweight - Emmanuel Chivoli (KEN) vs Pasco Lukwago (UG) - Chivoli won by UD (59-55, 60-54, 60-54)
Middleweight - Stephen Olang (KEN) vs Ronald Miiro (UG) - Olang won by UD (60-54, 60-54, 60-54)
Welterweight - Brian Munyolo (KEN) vs McGregor Ochenge Njoroge (KEN) - Draw (58-55, 55-58, 57-57)
Lightweight - Nicholas Mwangi (KEN) vs Ronald Jemba (UG) - Mwangi won by UD (80-67, 78-69, 80-67)
Super Welterweight - Felix Loggenberg (South Africa) vs Musa Mugisha (UG) - Loggenberg won by TKO R2
Super Middleweight - Elizabeth Andiego (KEN) vs Sabrina Mbwewe (TZ) - Andiego won by UD after 4 rounds
Super Welterweight - Anushka Loggenberg (UK) vs Sijali John (TZ) - Anushka by UD (40-36, 40-36, 40-36)
Featherweight - Ibrahim Odhiambo (KEN) vs Albert Kimario (KEN) - Kimario by TKO R2.