Dar es salaam was lit up when Kenya's own Rayton Okwiri sent Uganda's John Serunjogi tumbling to the canvas in the 8th round. The vicious knockout sees Okwiri stretching his unbeaten record to 8 fights with 6 KOs and 1 draw.
The African Boxing Union (ABU) Middleweight champion took control early in the first round making sure that the Ugandan felt the intense pressure. Even though he was straddled with constant jabs, the Ugandan still maintained a strong heart, landing some pretty clean shots later on in the 10-round East African bout. Soon, Rayton 'boom boom' unleashed the boom in the 8th after landing a solid counter jab that finalised the sizzling fight.
Okwiri, who returned to amateur boxing in a bid to make Hit Squad team to the Tokyo Olympic Games without success, has been fighting in his favoured middleweight category in bouts promoted by legendary Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions. Despite the government's ban on sports activities in a move aimed at containing the spread of Covid-19, Okwiri revealed he has been training in a personal gym under coaches Daniel Shisia and David Kiilu.
"I have been hard at work since the fight was confirmed. I have been training individually with the guidance of my coaches (Shisia and Kiilu) which has helped me maintain my focus," said the 35 year old. The reigning ABU champion said the disappointment of missing out on a second successive appearance at the Olympics, (he was part of the Hit Squad team to Rio Olympics in 2016) has made him even hungrier to succeed in the paid ranks.
"It was disappointing to miss out on Tokyo but I will use that as fuel to succeed as a professional and this fight is an ideal opportunity for me to show what I am about as a boxer," he said.