After bagging the African Boxing Union and WBC International Bantamweight title in November 2008, Kenyan boxer Nick ‘Kanyankole’ Otieno has set his sights on a mission he has long desired to acomplish, the commonwealth title. He says ‘As an amateur it was great pride to fight for my country, however in the professional ranks its not really that way. In my opinion, in professional boxing the nearest to lifting my country’s flag is fighting for a commonwealth title.’
Otieno who has ammased 18 wins and two losses since he joined the paid ranks in 2005, never even got an opportunity to fight for a national Kenyan title. At his level no-one has been forthcoming to face him for the national acolades, though he has been rated at different times at number one in the Bantam, and flyweight cartegories in the country.
His search for respect in the pro ranks has seen him enter the ring at Lightflyweight against Rexxon Florres (Phillipines), Flyweight against Z Gorres, and Bantamweight against Eduardo Garcia and Ibrahim Adewale. ‘Of course I am comfortable in all the three weights, but this is also because i have always liked to spread my self for opportunities’
The opportunities have arrived; in 20 fights in three years, he has held the UBO Bantamweight title, which he defended against another Kenyan Twalib Mubiru, he also went head to head with Mexican Eduardo Garcia in a 12 rounder he lost and in November 08 against Nigerian Ibrahim Adewale for the ABU and WBC International titles he currently holds.
‘Right now’ Nick says ‘ I am going to concentrate at bantamweight, and I hope that before I hang my gloves I would have raised the Kenyan flag winning a Commonwealth title. The Commonwealth Champion is Jason Booth and I am more than ready for a face-off with him. In fact I am calling out to Jason Booth and his management to discuss the possibility of such a fight happening’
Jason Booth is an experienced boxer with 31 wins in a glittering career that has seen him compete in the EBU title and the Commonwealth Bantamweight title he won in 2007. Though younger than Nick, the possibility of an explosive match-up would make this fight very interesting. Nick is rated by Boxrec.com at 32 in the world while Jason Booth is rated at 55 in the world at bantamweight.