Denzel Onyango suffers first-round defeat in World Grand Prix debut

Kenyan heavyweight boxer Denzel Onyango suffered defeat in his historic fight at the inaugural Riyadh Season WBC Boxing Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia on Sunday 20 April.

Onyango, who was the only Kenyan fighting in the brand-new event aimed at highlighting emerging boxing talent, was on the rough end of a first-round technical knockout (TKO) by Bosnian opponent Alija Mesic.

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Donning white and gold trunks, Onyango, who made his entry at the BLVD City Global Theatre to the rendition of Drake’s hit God’s Plan, was caught on his left jab with 1:10 to go in the first round - the Bosnian unleashing a strong right hook that took the Kenyan out of rhythm.

Sensing the opportunity, Mesic, who came in with a 1-0 record, pounced on the out-of-sorts Onyango with another shot, forcing a takedown.

Onyango showed toughness to survive the referee’s 10-second stand, but was not in the right shape to survive another barrage of shots from Mesic, who cornered him on the ropes, forcing a stoppage.

Screengrab/ DAZN

The referee’s stoppage was timed at 46 seconds to the end of the round, meaning Onyango’s time inside the ring on a historic day stood at 2 minutes, 14 seconds.

The defeat was his first in his professional career, which now stands at 5-1.

Despite his elimination from the tournament - which will see the second round take place in June - Onyango stood to be counted as the only Kenyan boxer to grace the event, and will take home a beautiful medal handcrafted in Mexico.

All other Africans taking part in the heavyweight category booked their places in the next event after they won their respective bouts.

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Morocco’s Youness Baalla won via unanimous decision against Morten Giskov, South Africa’s Keaton Gomes got a first-round TKO victory over Roberto Medina, while Apanu Reagan of Congo got a majority judges’ decision over Pavol Hrivnak in a tightly-contested fight.