Tropical storm shelves Okwiri's bout with Chikapa

2019 African Boxing Union [ABU] middleweight champion Rayton Okwiri will not be taking part in his non-title bout against Malawian opponent Limbani Chikapa this weekend, after the fight was postponed early Wednesday.

Just a day before Okwiri’s initial travel date to the fight venue in Moka, Mauritius, the promoters confirmed that the event dubbed Boxing & Jammin III, would no longer take place, due to the imminent threat posed by Cyclone Eleanor approaching the nation’s islands.

“Due to the imminent threat posed by Cyclone Eleanor approaching Mauritius, we regret to inform you that we are obliged to postpone the Boxing & Jammin III event scheduled for this Saturday 24th, 2024,” part of the promoter’s announcement read. “The safety and well-being of our attendees, participants, and staff are our top priority.

“We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this unavoidable circumstance. Rest assured, we are closely monitoring the situation and will announce a new date for the event as soon as it is safe to do so.”

As per a Thursday morning update by news agencies, Storm Eleanor was moving at a speed of 20 kilometers an hour, forcing the country to ground flights and shut schools.

“We can’t argue with nature,” Okwiri, with a fight record of 9-1-1 told Mozzart Sport about the new development. “I look at it from the positive side in that we are all safe and taking precaution, while also believing that this window will give me ample time to prepare for my planned bout in March, and whenever this fight is rescheduled to.”

It is highly expected that if following recent trends - that the clones occur each year in the southwest Indian Ocean during the November-April season - the fight with Chikapa could come in late April, before which Okwiri will have staged a yet-to-be-confirmed title fight in Nairobi.

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“My training regime is not going to change,” the World Alliance Boxing Association (WABA) middleweight champion said.