MBIYA STOPS BONGCO
▫️ The DRC boxer makes his intentions clear
▫️ Ghana reap big in day 2 as Tshama, Albino beaten
Africa light-middleweight champion Mbiya Kulenguka (pictured) stopped South Africa’s Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Simnikiwe Bongco in the first round as hosts Ghana reaped big in Day 2 of African Games boxing tournament at the Bukom Arena in Accra on Saturday (March 16).
It was not a good day in the office for medal prospects, middleweight David Tshama of DRC and heavyweight Albino Gabriel of Mozambique both of whom kissed goodbye to the Games after losing their fights.Tshama, a gold and silver medallist in the Africa Championships, was beaten by Morocco’s Yassine Elourz while Albino went down on points to Gabon’s Mouandat Njinnou.
Bongco proved no match for Kulenguka who overpowered him, forcing the referee to step in at 40 seconds of the first round. Bongco is gradually becoming Kulenguka’s customer as this is the second time he has lost to the DR Congo boxer.
The light-middleweight is shaping up into a tightly contested division with 2022 Africa champion Hamza Barbari of Morocco and Mozambican Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Tiago Muxanga winning their bouts. Barbari outpointed Nigeria’s Ibrahim Yakubu and Muxanga hammered Mangue Obama from Equatorial Guinea 5-0.
Hosts Ghana made no secret about their intention to win the Africa Games overall team title for the first time when four boxers won their fights.
Bantamweight Amadu Mohammed, flyweight Theo Allotey, lightweight Joseph Commey and light-middleweight Henry Malm were Ghana’s winners and brought smiles to the faces of the well attended show.
Mohamed KO’d Algeria’s Khalil Litim, Commonwealth Games silver medallist Commeyvstopped Liberia’s Jeroson Barkin in the third round in the lightweight division, Malm outpointed Tunisia’s Hamza Ghazouani while flyweight
Allotey stopped Egypt’s Amr Eltafahny in the first round to set up his second encounter with Zambia’s showman Patrick Chinyemba who beat the Ghanaian last year in the World Championships in Tashkent. Chinyemba stopped Ethiopia’s Dawit Wibshet in the second round.
Botswana’s defending African Games flyweight champion Rajab Otukile Mahomed bowed out of the tournament when the referee stopped his fight against Fabrice Valerie of Mauritius following a cut above his right eye. Valerie now meets South Africa’s Lusizi Lubabala in the semi-finals. The Mzansi boxer saw off DR Congo’s Bakora Kalongo who refused to shake hands with Lubabala feeling he was robbed of victory.
East African boxers made their presence felt in Day 2 boxing with Uganda chalking up two wins. Kenya and Tanzania won one bout each.
Uganda’s two winners were the fast-rising featherweight southpaw Kasim Murungi and light-middleweight Muzamir Semuddu who KO’d Togo’s Holonou Akoudsan in the first round while Murungi stopped Timothy Williams of Liberia in the second round.
Kenya’s female bantamweight Amina Martha hammered Ghana’s Sarah Apew 5-0 and Tanzania’s lightweight Ezra Paul, making his debut in a major competition, stopped Mohamed William from Seychelles in the second round.
Tiny southern African country Eswatini suffered a big loss with the defeat of main hope, welterweight Thabiso Dlamini by Algeria’s Abdenacer Belarbi.
✍🏼 AFBC Communications