NAIROBI, August 11 – A second Kenyan boxer, Nicholas Okoth, takes to the ring Monday afternoon at the Beijing Olympics with a promise to redeem the medal prospects for his country after the elimination of his Light-Heavyweight compatriot Aziz Ali on Saturday.
The soldier is scheduled to take on Mexican Arturo Santos Reyes at 2pm Kenyan time in the featherweight (57 kilograms) fight.
It will be the second meet with the Mexican; their first contest was at the pre-Olympics tournament in Chinese Taipei earlier this year, during which Okoth lost.
Kenya’s medal hopes dampened on Saturday with Ali’s loss and the elimination of the country’s sole rower Mathew Lidaywa.
Reyes who featured at the 2005 World Championships has more experience at this stage having made two appearances at the Olympic Games – in Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004.
Kenya is also represented by other boxers, including Bernard Irungu Ngumba (fly) and Suleiman Wanjau Bilali (light fly), who will fight on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
Ngumba will face Uzebekistan’s Tulashboy Doniyorov, while Bilali, younger brother to former sensational Ibrahim ‘Surf’ Bilali, is drawn against Dominican Republic’s Winston Montero.
Meanwhile, Kenya’s medals hunting pack, Athletics, is eagerly awaited, as the program begins on Friday with the women’s 10,000m and marathon the following day.
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