Nick Otieno: A Hard road to
become African - WBC Champion
By Edward Sande
December 1, 2008
(DEC 1) While Kenyans were
monitoring the progress of Kenyan Musician Wahu Kagwi and Jua Cali at
the MAMA Music Awards in Lagos Nigeria, another Kenyan was quietly
seeking to add to the nation’s conquests and make a name for himself in
a totally different discipline. Less than three hundred kilometers from
the Nigerian Coastal City, Kenyan Boxer Nick Otieno was battling it out
in the boxing ring against African Boxing Champion Ibrahim Adewale for
an unprecedented all African double title challenge. At stake, the
vacant WBC international bantamweight title and the ABU bantamweight
title held by his Nigerian Opponent.
In 2006, a little known Otieno won the vacant Universal Boxing
Organization bantamweight crown against Twalib Muribu in Dec 2006 and
defended it in a rematch in 2007. Still in 2007, he took IBF INT
Champion, Eduardo Garcia all of the 12 rounds in an IBF Intercontinental
Bantam weight championship in a close contest where one judge scored the
bout as a draw. (110-118, 114-114, 113-115). He was the warrior who
stopped African Boxing Union Super Flyweight champion Francis Miyeyusho
with a first-round knockout on April 5, taking the Tanzanian off the
race for the IBF Intercontinental super flyweight title. Otieno also
stopped former WBO A/P Champion Florres in and has now taken the African
Boxing Union title (from Ibrahim Adewale) and vacant WBC International
Bantam title in the Nigerian’s home tuff on 22nd November 2008. That’s
Nick “Kanyankole” Otieno; a hardboiled African champion who moves
introduces himself the scene of world boxing with fists and heart on
fire.
For Nick, the Nigeria victory was a crowning of an illustrious year in
his boxing career. For the third time within the last six months, Otieno
had stepped into the ring as an underdog and come out convincingly on
top. In June what had seemed to be a mere formality for African Super
flyweight Champion, Otieno stopped the Tanzanian in the first round. A
left hook from Otieno sent Miyeyusho sprawling to the ropes and his
attempts to get up on his feet were thwarted by his weak knees. While
many fans would have thought that Nick’s victory could have been just a
lucky punch, Otieno went on cement his new found prowess in the faraway
Asian Islands of Philippines.
In October Otieno was set for a WBC International Flyweight title fight,
in Davao City- Philipines against Fernando Lumacad, but the promoters
replaced Lumacad with the more experienced Rexxon Florres (18-4). The
highly rated Florres who is a former WBO Asia Pacific Champion was
expected to overcome Otieno – boxing pundits had all put their money of
Florres but were shocked when Otieno’s pressure sent the WBO champion
twice to the canvas. When Florres hit the canvas for the 3rd time in the
8th round, his efforts to get back on his feet were in vain and the
referee waived off the fight. This was Otieno’s second visit to the
Philipines. He had lost a ten round contest against No. 5 rated
Supeflyweight, Z Gorres in Cebu City in May 31.
By those two victories, (Miyeyusho and Florres) Otieno’s world rating
had surged from the hundreds to 17 at the flyweight berth. It therefore
was not hard for him to be considered as a worthy challenger for an
African title by the ABU to replace a South African challenger. Otieno’s
next challenge seemed even more difficult; against the unbeaten African
bantamweight champion Ibrahim Adewale. Adewale’s perfect record of
eleven wins and no loss also included 11 stoppages. No one had ever
lasted with Adewale for more than 6 rounds. The WBC Judges unanimously
scored the fight for Otieno 117–111, 115-113, 119-109.
A late bloomer in the pro ranks, Nick Otieno is an archetype of the
fore-sightless management of the entire boxing scene in Kenya; he has
only fought as a professional for the last four years. In Kenya,
corporate companies that have amateur boxing teams and the military,
i.e. Army, Police and Prisons horde the best boxers, recruiting them as
early as 15yrs and with the assurance of employment reap from their best
years in a grand effort to fill their amateur medals cabinets with
Olympic, Commonwealth, and even Military games awards. By the time a
boxer is able to turn professional, he is more or less done with, often
over 30 years and his 'employer' turns to the younger crop.
After an illustrious amateur career, Otieno turned pro at 32 years old.
Many would expect such boxers not to last, or rather not to make an
impression, but he obviously had other plans. As he made his way through
his first five fights without a loss and only registering one KO, many,
though entertained by his style assumed that he wouldn't last long.
Winning the vacant UBO Bantamweight title against the tough Twalib
Mubiru, and brought some appreciation to his boxing. A rematch with
Mubiru for the same title (where he registered his second stoppage)
earned him the full recognition that he deserved. But his exploits in
the year 2008 stand out most.
The story of Otieno is a tale of tough times that the champion had to
contend with in his upbringing. Born in 1973 in the sprawling outskirts
of Nairobi Kenya, he grew up in the crime infested Mathare No. 10 slums
on the outskirts of Nairobi. The tough life in the ghetto hardened him
and his experiences there could have played a big part in his decision
to take up boxing. Otieno has seen it all. The first of 9 siblings, Nick
grew up in the care of a step mother, after his parents separated. His
father did not do much to help him further his education ad by the time
he was in Primary six, there seemed to be no option but for him to drop
out of school.
‘As a kid I was tiny and I got beat up a lot by the lads' He says.
'That’s what probably pushed me to take up boxing, to be able to defend
myself'.
Otieno enrolled at the Dandora Bangla boxing gym. He trained hard and by
1992 he had become a regular feature in the junior amateur circuit. As
he progressed to the intermediate level of the amateur championships,
Nick moved from club to club in search of the permanency of employment.
'I fought for at least seven Amateur boxing clubs including Kenya
Creameries, Telkom and Kenya Breweries. Those days and indeed now, if
you performed well at the boxing club, you could get a chance of getting
employed by the sponsoring company.' Nick says 'Of course I did not
study much, so probably I could have landed a job as a casual worker or
laborer'
No jobs materialized, but he made his name in the amateur boxing
circles, even representing Kenya in a few regional and African
competitions. Otieno made the decision to join the paid ranks, and he
says things began to look up.
'I was already married then' he says of the time he turned professional
'the pay after each fight was not much but it was better than at the
amateurs. I could afford to get a few things done for my small family.
Twenty professional fights later, including two losses at a high level,
Otieno is arguably the best boxer at the Super fly and Bantam weights in
the Eastern Africa region. Otieno has campaigned successfully at
flyweight, super flyweight and Bantam weight. His 2008 conquests now see
him ranked at 13 in the world by the respected boxrec website.
‘We have proven ourselves at three different weights, Flyweight to
bantamweight’ says Nick’s trainer Paul Akoth ‘what we want in the new
year are the opportunities that befit Nick’s achievements in 2008, he
deserves the big shots now’.
