"When fighting is the only way out": Meet the young Nakuru boxers dreaming of national glory

In 2021, Felix Kuria's life took a sharp turn when he was brutally attacked on his way home. Badly injured, he resolved never to feel so vulnerable again. He enrolled in a karate class, but the training was cut short when he was attacked a second time and had his phone stolen. This incident prompted him to switch to boxing.

“At first it was very difficult, but over time I became addicted to the progress I was making,” Kuria recalls.

Having just left high school, he was unable to go to college due to financial constraints, so boxing became his outlet. “Rather than staying idle at home, I decided to keep training while looking for a job,” he says.

Kuria performed poorly in his first competition, but he remains proud of the experience. 

"That moment helped me grow and learn," he says. One of his proudest achievements came later, when he entered the Novices competition and fought two weight categories above his usual class, still emerging victorious.

Despite these milestones, his journey has been far from easy. Limited resources, the need to balance work with training and a lack of steady pay remain major challenges. 

“Sometimes the profession doesn’t pay, which can be disheartening, but I still do it out of passion and in the hope that one day it will pay off,” he explains.

His dream is clear: to join the national boxing team, represent Kenya internationally and help to restore Nakuru’s glory in boxing. 

"In the next two years, I hope to turn professional and get the support I need to achieve that goal," he adds. 

He admits that performing at home is often the most nerve-racking; performing before friends and family leaves no room for failure or mistakes.

For James Tachia, boxing offered a path to discipline and safety. Growing up in Kivumbini, an area grappling with drug abuse and crime, he saw the sport as his escape. 

He took up boxing in 2019 while at high school, and he has continued to practise the sport even though he is now studying medicine at Egerton University.

“Balancing school and training is very difficult because academia can be overwhelming, but I’m glad I’m not idle,” says Tachia.

His proudest moment came when he competed in the National League in Mombasa, performed well and won a prize of 10,000 Kenyan shillings. 

“I used the money to pay my school fees, which was fulfilling because I got to help my parents,” he says.

Like Kuria, Tachia dreams of joining the national boxing team and eventually turning professional. His passion has also inspired his younger brother to take up the sport, which he finds deeply humbling.

Although it is a tough road, especially given the reduced monetary rewards, Tachia says that being part of a boxing club has kept him going. 

“It helps me to be patient, encourages me to persevere even after defeats, and provides me with a community that shares my goal,” he says.