Kenya’s Nelson Otieno refereeing a bout at the Konstatin Korotkov Memorial International Boxing Championship [Courtesy]Kenya’s top international referee cum judge Nelson Otieno was voted one of the best referees in the Konstatin Korotkov Memorial International Boxing Championships that ended in Russia over the weekend. Otieno who was the only African referee in the nine-day tournament officiated several matches, with his last one being the semifinal featherweight match between Tomo Tsuboi of Japan and Azerbaijan's Umoid Rystamnov. Previously, he had officiated in the Africa Zone Three Boxing Championships in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo in March after having taken part in the World Military Games in South Korea in 2015. Kenya is the only country in Africa that produced a referee to officiate in the tournament. They include 2015 Africa Boxing Championships lightweight (60kg) Gold medallist Nick 'Commander' Okoth and double Olympian and Africa Zone Three super heavyweight (over 91kg) Gold medalist Elly Ajowi.

Source: Standard Digital May 17, 2021 09:56 UTC