Kenyan boxer Veronica Mbithe eliminated from world championships after losing light-flyweight bout
Mbithe, a KDF corporal who also featured in the 2023 World Championships held in New Delhi, India, lost all three rounds.
Kenyan boxer Veronica Mbithe, 29, will take no further part in the 2025 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships which started on Sunday in Nis, Serbia, after she her lost Round of 32 light-flyweight (48-50 kgs) bout to the 29-year-old Kazakhstani Alua Balkibekova by unanimous decision.
Mbithe, a KDF corporal who also featured in the 2023 World Championships held in New Delhi, India, lost all three rounds, with the five judges from Belgium, Cuba, Morocco, Serbia, and Spain scoring 30-24, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27, and 30-36 in favour of Balkibekova, who had upgraded to the light-flyweight weight class having competed in the minimum weight category at the last two world championships during which won silver in 2022 and bronze in 2023.
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As a result, Balkibekova won the contest 5-0 per the judges’ score and will proceed to meet the Moroccan Yasmine Moutaqui in the Round of 16 of the competition.
The 14th edition of the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships attracted over 500 fighters from 40 countries, and following Mbithe’s elimination, only seven Kenyan boxers remain in the competition.
Among Kenya’s remaining boxers, 38-year-old Liz Andiego is the most experienced, having competed in the 2010, 2012, 2022, and 2023 editions of the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships. Andiego, who will feature in the light-heavyweight category (75-81 kg), also represented Kenya at the 2012 London Olympic Games and the 2014 Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow.
Overall, including Andiego and Mbithe, Kenya has five boxers who have previously competed in the IBA Women’ World Boxing Championships. Amina Martha Faki, 34, who will compete in the bantamweight category (52-54 kg), will be appearing for the third time in the championships, following up on appearances in 2022 and 2023.
Pauline Chege, 26, will compete in the featherweight category (54-57 kg), having featured in the same weight class during her world championships debut in 2023.
Also returning for her second world championships is 26-year-old Friza Anyango who will be fighting in the welterweight category (63-66 kg).
Cynthia Mwai, Emily Juma, and Lencer Akinyi will be making their world championships debut in the light-welterweight (60-63 kg), lightweight (57-60 kg), and flyweight (50-52 kg) categories.
The competition will feature fights in 12 weight classes with Kenya having no representation in the minimum weight (45-48 kgs), light-middleweight (66-70 kg), middleweight (70-75 kg), and heavyweight (81+ kg) categories.
Prize money
This year’s competition has a prize money pool of $2.88 million (Sh360 million).
Winners will take home $100 000 (Sh13 million) while silver medallists will receive $50 000 (Sh6.5 million). The two losing semi-finalists will bank $25 000 (Sh3.25 million) each while the four losing quarterfinalists will be awarded $10 000 (Sh1.3 million) each.
Kenya is competing at the world championships for the fifth time, having featured in 2010, 2012, 2022, and 2023. Kenyan boxers are yet to establish themselves in the competition with Christine Ongare (in 2023) remaining the only Kenyan boxer so far to win a bout at the championships.
As per competition rules, only boxers who win at least one fight will be eligible for prize money. However, a boxer will still be eligible for prize money if they win via walkover.
Also, no prize money will be awarded to boxers who are the sole competitors in their category. The maximum age for competing boxers is 41 years.
Including the eight boxers, Kenya’s delegation in Serbia also comprises David Muhuhe (leader of delegation), coach Musa Benjamin and team manager Gathoni Kinyua.
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