Rayton Okwiri to battle for IBF title in South Africa
Kenya’s hard-hitting boxer Rayton ‘boom boom’ Okwiri is set for a mega showdown in South Africa.
Rayton Okwiri (8-0-1, 6 KOs) has been lined up against DRC's Emmany Kalombo (15-1-0, 15 KOs) in a 12-round IBF International super-welterweight title fight on June 30 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The fight will headline international sports media ESPN’s monthly series in Johannesburg which is fast becoming Africa's pro boxing capital.
"I'm excited and raring to go, getting such an opportunity is in itself a big achievement in my pro boxing career," said Okwiri who is now undergoing rigorous workouts under coach David Kiilu in preparation for the titanic clash.
Victory for Okwiri will inch him closer to a shot at the IBF world title.
In his last fight in October, 2021, Okwiri made an easy meal of Uganda's John Serunjogi whom he knocked out in the 8th round in a non-title middleweight bout in Dar es Salam, Tanzania.
Kalombo's last fight on the other hand in April this year saw him knocking out Malawi's Chikondi Makawa in the third round adding on to his barrage of early-round knockouts.
Rayton Okwiri
Okwiri made his professional debut on February 4, 2017, defeating Salehe Mkalekwa at the Crowne Plaza, Nairobi. He won the African Boxing Union middleweight title in his sixth pro fight on June 8, 2019, beating Hussein Itaba.
Rayton Okwiri later on qualified to compete at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics after bagging the gold medal in the 2016 African Boxing Olympic qualifiers.
In April 2020, Okwiri took another stab at Olympic qualifiers in Dakar Senegal after giving up his African Boxing Union middleweight belt, but that dream was punched down by Ugandan David Ssemujji in a split decision.
