Kenyan boxer Ramadhan Kaminja on Sunday failed to live up to his pre-bout tough talk after being knocked out by Mussa Ajibu just 40 seconds into their 10-round scheduled bout at M1 Centre Point in Lilongwe.
It was the first professional fight organised by the Malawi Boxing Association (Maba).
Kaminja, who had promised to knock out Ajibu, was a huge disappointment as he never landed a punch on his opponent. Instead it was Ajibu who did the damage with his first punch of the fight which dislocated the Kenyan jaw.
It was a sorry sight, seeing the floored Kenyan heavyweight boxer crying and failing to rise.
Referee Andy Muyaya stopped the fight and declared Ajibu the winner through retirement.
Prior to the fight, the physique of the Kenyan boxer brought about debate. He had a bulging belly and looked overweight for a boxer.
The result of the fight brought about prolonged protests from the fans and Kaminji had to be escorted from the ring by the police and some Malawi Defence Force officers.
“That Kenyan is not a boxer. I feel they [Maba] took us for a ride. This bout reminds me of that mockery fight that Manganya set up this other year when he was shooting his movie. It is a pathetic start for Maba,” said Charles Mwenda, a dedicated boxing fan.
But Maba head of Pro-Boxing Daud Chikwanje insisted the boxer was genuine and that instead of complaining Malawians should celebrate that their boxer won.
“Last year, Limbani Masamba was knocked down in the first round at Bingu International Conference Centre. Why is it that people find it strange that Mussa knocked down the Kenyan in the first round? It means Musa is good. You don’t survive a jaw shot in boxing. No one can survive a jaw dislocation punch not even Mike Tyson in his hey days,” said Chikwanje in defence of the Kenyan. n
