Tanzanian boxer Mwakinyo stripped of African title
Tanzanian boxer Hassan Mwakino in action in the ring against Namibian boxer Julius Indongo at the Ubungo Plaza Hall in Dar es Salaam on Sept. 3, 2021. Mwakinyo won the bout. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- ABU’s decision leaves Mwakinyo without a boxing title - despite being ranked 14th in the , with four stars.
Dar es Salaam. After being stripped of the Intercontinental title of the World Boxing Federation (WBF) a few months ago, prominent Tanzanian boxer Hassan Mwakinyo has suffered another blow to his boxing reputation following the decision of Africa Boxing Union (ABU) to strip him of the super-welterweight title recently.
Mwakinyo won the ABU title on May 28, 2021 after registering a technical knockout (TKO) against Angolan boxer Maiala Antonio in the ninth round at the Next Door Arena in Masaki.
The boxer then defended the title against Julius Indongo of Namibia on September 3 last year at the Ubungo Plaza, also in Dar es Salaam, in a TKO win.
But, Mwakinyo didn’t defend the title for six months, compelling ABU to take it away. ABU also dropped Mwakinyo to the third position of the super welterweight boxer rankings.
The top-ranked boxer in the ABU standings is Wale Omotoso of Nigeria, followed by Ghanaian boxer Patrick Allotey. The fourth boxer in the rankings is Emmaany Kalombo of the DR Congo, while Roarke Knapp of South Africa and Brandon Tysse - also of South - after are ranked fifth and sixth respectively.’
Other boxers (with their country and position in brackets) are Richamond Djarbeng (Ghana: 7th); Simon Dlala (South Africa: 8th); Emile Kalekuzi (DR Congo: 9th); King Davidson (Nigeria: 10th); Dodzi Kemeh (Ghana: 11th); Yassine Aallam (Mrocco: 12th); Nkululeko Mhlongo (South Africa: 13th), and Sule Olagbade (Nigeria: 14th).
ABU’s decision leaves Mwakinyo without a boxing title - despite being ranked 14th in the (boxrec) , with four stars.
Responding on the matter, the secretary general of the Tanzania Professional Boxing Regulatory Commission (TPBRC), Yahya Poli, said Mwakinyo was supposed to defend the ABU title within six months of winning it, and decision taken by ABU is according to the sport’s rules.
Mwakinyo is now in the United States pursuing some boxing activities - and from where he has been quoted as saying that being stripped of the title for NOT defending it in a boxing ring is not a problem. What is the problem if he loses the title by being defeated in the ring!
