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The 2022 Africa Zone 3 Super heavyweight champion Elly Ajowi has officially announced his retirement from boxing.

Speaking to People Sport, from his training base at Mathare Depot Gymnasium in Nairobi, Ajowi expressed his intention to shift his focus towards coaching aspiring young boxers who see him as a role model.

He mentioned, “I have been in the sport for quite some time and I felt it was high time. I said adios (goodbye) to the sport to give youngsters a chance to prove themselves.”

Ajowi further acknowledged the significance of boxing in his life, saying, “I believe I have achieved a lot beyond my expectations. Boxing gave me a job and shaped my career, and I cannot thank God enough for the achievements.”

The 39-year-old National Police Service Corporal says at his age, continuing in amateur boxing becomes challenging, stating, “You sort of get tired legs when you reach this age and the only logical thing is to rest your body and let the youngsters show what is up their sleeves.”

He believes that he has done a lot for the country and showed enthusiasm in taking a rest.
Ajowi, however, was unlucky during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where the Kenya national boxing team dubbed “the Hit Squad” had all its members eliminated in the first round leading to their loss to Cuba’s Julio dela Cruz.

Reflecting on his career, Ajowi highlighted his accomplishments–under the leadership of Jamal Otieno as the chairperson of the Boxing Federation Kenya (BKF)–including winning back-to-back Kenya Open championships and clinching a gold medal at the Africa Zone 3 championships in Kinshasa in March 2021.

He recalled, “I just believed in myself and had to do something after boxing for about a decade and get global recognition. I needed it badly, especially in my intention to put Kenya on the continental boxing map.”

In addition to his achievements, Ajowi won the Sports Journalist Personality of the Month award in March 2021, courtesy of the Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK), and was the only male boxer in his division to have received such accolades. His journey to success began in 2015 when he won a bronze medal in Congo Brazzaville, followed by another bronze in Rabat, Morocco in 2019.

Despite these accomplishments, his participation in the 2022 Commonwealth team resulted in disappointment. This resulted in some journalists (then) branding the Kenyan emissaries ‘old and out of fashion’ amidst pressure from the Boxing Association of Kenya (BAK) to infuse fresh blood into the team.

Ajowi, who was previously a matatu tout, and receiving a meager earning of between Sh300 and Sh400 a day, reminisced about his humble beginnings in Dasndora and his rise to popularity.

He shared, “I came from humble beginnings and this was what I took home just to put food on the table for my family. The rest is history.”

Now, he is dedicated to nurturing a group of young men and women from various neighbourhoods including Mathare, Kariobangi and Dandora hoping they will achieve success in the sport just as he did.