Bullish Tanzanian boxer ‘Mtu Kazi’ puts his Kenyan opponent Emmanuel Wanyonyi on notice
Bullish Tanzanian boxer Karim ‘Mtu Kazi’ Mandonga has put his Kenyan opponent Emmanuel Wanyonyi on notice ahead of the non-title fight at Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) on Saturday.
The Morogoro-based boxer, who is also a transporter of bulky goods, came short of saying whether he shall knock out Wanyonyi, only pointing out that he shall teach him several lessons relating to the sport.
‘From what I gather he (Wanyonyi) is an experienced boxer and the fact that he has no record to show for it is what I will use to my advantage. Let him know that he is set to face Mtu Kazi ( slang for a man dedicated to his work) who will show him how it’s done. I’m here in Nairobi and shall be fighting by the grace of God,” said Mandonga.
Coached by Said Kisopu, Mandonga said he has never ‘cooled’ ever since he was advised by his colleagues to take boxing seriously in 2000 during which time he was mostly preoccupied with his transport business.
“Waliniambia niangazie masumbwi na sikurudi nyuma. Mandonga ana Power na nitaitumia kwa Wanyonyi’ (‘’They told me to focus on boxing and there was no turning back. Mandonga has power and I will use it on Wanyonyi,”) he said. While Mandonga has a record of (2-3-1, 1KO), Wanyonyi’s statistics stand at (27-14-2, 22 KOs). The two will be curtain-raising for Kenya’s Rayton Okwiri versus Tanzania’s Ally Ndaro bout which is the main event for the day although, seemingly, the fight involving Mandonga is the one shaking the airwaves.
Okwiri was set to take on Kassim Ouma of Uganda in the middleweight fight that was initially set to take place in Kampala, Uganda on December 26, 2022 but was cancelled after Okwiri demanded to be paid before the fight, sentiments echoed by the organizers of the bout in Kenya.
In the meantime, Okwiri has declared that he is unfazed by Ndaro’s almost flawless record ahead of their non-title fight.
“I gather that he (Ndaro) is one of the most accomplished boxers in Tanzania but I care less about that. I’m ready for the fight and don’t have much to say except to let my fists speak for me. I wish Kenyan boxers lovers attend the bout in large numbers to see what’s up my sleeves,” said Okwiri.
The sentiments aside, it would be a gross understatement to say that “Boom Boom”, as Okwiri is fondly referred to, will be meeting one of the most Polished Tanzanian boxers of his generation and who has yet to lose in six fights he has partaken thus far.
Born and brought up in Arusha, Ndaro has an extraordinary finishing ability to complement his technical base, something he has shown since joining the paid ranks.
Nicknamed Sub Machine Gun (SMG), Ndaro applies pressure, has good punching power and aspirations to take out the division’s big names in the division.
Ndaro’s first outing was on September 24, 2022 when he defeated his compatriot Selemani Saidi on unanimous points at Nangwanda Sijaona grounds in Mtwara followed by a similar victory over Shaban Kaoneka at AICC Lake Nyasa Hall in Arusha.
Two other victories against fellow Tanzanian Simon Buhura, Ugandan James Waswa and a draw against Kenyan-born Congolese Fiston Botumbe were enough to make his fight against an equally successful Okwiri an imminent roughneck affair.
Okwiri (8-1-1, 6 KOs) had been programmed to battle Uganda’s Kassim Ouma who withdrew thus forcing the organizers to bring in the orthodox stance Ndaro (4-0-1, 2KOs), as an afterthought.
The Kenyan pugilist last fought in Johannesburg, South Africa on June 30th 2022 against the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Emmany Kalombo who he lost by TKO.
The 36-year-old has had 10 professional fights since 2017, winning eight by TKO, losing once and drawing the other.
