Maina eager to punch Olympic ticket in Morocco

“I want to arrest all my opponents in the ring in Morocco with deadly punches and book myself a place in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics games.”

These are the words of Kenya Police constable Ethan Maina who will represent Kenya in the 12th edition of the African Games in Morocco.

Maina, 30, is making his first ever continental attempt at lightweight and has two missions when he climbs the ring during the games that will run from August 19 to September 2.

His past international assignments include the inter-cities boxing championship in Mwanza, Tanzania in 2012 and the East African Kenya Police boxing championships in Dar-es-salaam last year.

“My dream since I joined Chafua Chafua boxing club in 2015 is to win an Olympic gold medal. The Morocco games present me a golden opportunity to realise my dreams and I will go flat out to win my opening game and the rest of the matches,” said Maina.

He added: “I want to rewrite history of boxing in Kenya by becoming the second boxer after Robert Napunyi Wangila to win an Olympic gold medal.”

Wangila was the first ever Kenyan pugilist to win gold in boxing when he emerged champion in the welterweight category at the 1988 Summer Olympic games held in Seoul, South Korea.

“I am 30 years and the first ever gold in Kenya boxing history was won 31 years ago. I want to rewrite that history by qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics games by winning the continental matches in Morocco,” asserted the father of one.

Maina - a great admirer of his fellow policeman retired boxer Benson Gicharu - said that he was not surprised by his inclusion in the “Hit Squad.”

“Gicharu is a unique boxer. He is humble, simple and a performer in the ring. I want to emulate him,” said Maina adding that he earned his spot in the African Games. “I beat one of the Kenya’s battle hardened boxer Nick Okoth in the Kenya Open in Mombasa last month in a memorable fight. That motivates me since my daughter was born while I was in the ring fighting Okoth.”

The soft-spoken policeman who started boxing at Mbotela estate in Nairobi under coach Raphael Mutiso before he was spotted by the late former Kenya heavyweight boxer James “Demosh” Omondi says he owes his success to the two coaches.

The Dr Mwenje High School alumnus revealed he started boxing as a way of keeping off bad company in the Eastlands area of Nairobi.

“My former Principal Ms Nzui and my dad Jadiel Irungu encouraged me to join boxing and keep off bad company. That is how I ended up becoming a boxer,” said Maina.

His exploits in the ring have drawn his younger brother Joseph Gatambu to the sport and he is now a light welterweight boxer at the Kenya Defence forces (KDF) team.

Maina has been consistent in the domestic league as he started his campaign on high note by winning the opener in Busia, lost in the second leg at the Madison Square Garden in Nakuru before returning to winning ways in Mombasa last month.

“In Nakuru I had an injury and all I wanted is to collect a point for Chafua Chafua,” said Maina.

Maina notes that he has benefitted greatly from the residential training at Kasarani.

“I am happy coaches Musa Benjamin and David Munuhe have turned my weak punching combination into a terrific machine. I am now ready to make good use of the skills I have gained so conquer my opponents in Morocco,” said Maina.