Former African Boxing Union super middleweight champion Rayton ‘Boom Boom’ Okwiri lost the battle of titans to Emmany “General” Kalombo of the Democratic Republic of Congo in their 12-round bout in Sandton, Johannesburg, Gauteng.
Kalombo won TKO in Round eight after Okwiri sustained an injury on a right-hand finger, extolled his opponent for putting up a gallant fight.
Okwiri, 36, rose to the limelight after representing Kenya at the Rio 2016 Olympics. A year later, he turned professional and won his maiden fight in Brazil against Russian Andrey Zamkovoy, before losing his second bout against Morocco’s Mohammed Rabii.
The Kenya Prisons officer had prepared well for Thursday’s bout given he spent time training in the USA alongside American multiple title holder Demetrius Cesar Andrade.
Andrade has held the WBO middleweight title since 2018 and previously boasted the WBA (Regular) and WBO light middleweight titles between 2013 and 2017.