Conjestina Achieng

Conjestina Achieng
Conjestina Achieng
Born	Conjestina Achieng; 20 October 1977 (age 47); Umiru village, Yala division, Siaya District, Kenya
Nationality	Kenya
Other names	Hands of Stone
	Statistics
Weight(s)	Middleweight
Stance	Orthodox
	Boxing record
Total fights	27
Wins	17
Wins by KO	8
Losses	6
Draws	4
No contests	0

Conjestina Achieng (born 20 October 1977 in Umiru village, Yala division, Siaya District. Conjestina is the fifth born in a family of ten. Her father Clement Adalo is a retired medical officer and her mother is Gertrude Auma. Her elder brother, Joseph Kusimba is an ex-boxer who runs a boxing club in Mathare, Nairobi. She is a Kenyan female boxer who has been nicknamed "Hands of Stone" and is ranked number five in the world. She became the first African woman to hold an international title when she beat Ugandan Fiona Tugume to take the vacant WIBF Middleweight title.^[2] She also lost out in controversial title fight circumstances to then WBC, and WBA Super middleweight Natascha Ragosina^[3] Achieng, a single mother, plays in the middleweight division.

Personal life

Being otherwise unemployed, Achieng, who normally earned about $250 a fight, relied on boxing to pay for her inexpensive one-room rented apartment in Nairobi's impoverished Lucky Summer estate. Her greatest challenge was to finance her training and maintain a well-balanced diet. In a country where many survive on less than $1 a day, Achieng struggled to put food on the table and meet her basic needs. Government support for training facilities and equipment is limited and reliable boxing promoters are rare, so prize money is hard to come by.

"I earn a living the hard way", she said in an interview with Women Boxing Archive Network. "I can't afford the right foods and sometimes I don't even have the bus fare to go for training. When I look at other boxers like Mike Tyson and Laila Ali, my soul bleeds. They are rich and the kind of life they lead is not comparable to ours. But us we lead a dog's life. Things don’t fall on a silver plate. Every individual has to reap where he or she has sown and I am no exception."

"In Kenya, boxing is not well paying as people may think. I don’t have a permanent salary and I’m only paid when there is a fight and if I have won. Boxing is hard and should be treated with the seriousness it deserves. One has to be committed and train hard."

"I have a son and younger sisters who are still in school, and all of them depend on me. My aging parents can no longer afford to cater for these people and I’m left in charge," she added.

Achieng's day began at 5.30 a.m. with 15 km of road work, then at 8.30 am she resumed her normal gym training till midday. "I enjoy boxing in the company of male boxers", said Achieng. "We train and share ideas."

In any spare time she volunteered at a nearby school assisting children through their assignments and marking their books. The school's owner, Jean Ikenga has always supported Achieng and sometimes paid her rent.

When Conjestina was in school she excelled in arts and crafts, and still pursues drawing and painting. Some of her work is displayed at Upendo Nursery in Mathare North. She said that one of her aims is to nurture young and aspiring artists.

She also wanted to fight Laila Ali. "I am training hard and hope to face her in the ring. She does not sound a threat to me and I long to fight her. I will decide on whether to continue boxing or stop only after I snatch that title from her." Her promoter Caleb Kuya, a Danish-based Kenyan, was equally confident but said "Conje" needs at least three more fights under her belt before she faces Ali, especially as she has boxed professionally only once outside Kenya. "She will be much better if she fights out of the country to get the feel of away matches and even jeering from other fans," he said as he outlined plans for seeking sponsorships for a potential Achieng vs. Ali showdown.

Health issues

In January 2011, Conjestina's father sent an appeal to Kenyans to help him take her to hospital after her behaviour deteriorated from the norm. According to her father, Conjestina had removed her son from school, set ablaze to all her boxing gear and disposed of all the equipment from her gymnasium, which she had opened in 2009. She was admitted at the Mathari hospital in Nairobi which specialises in mental health care. She was later released.

On 4 September 2012. a story ran on Citizen TV showing Conjestina in a state of confusion and utter despair. The former boxer showed off her belts. She was said to be living in poverty having not paid her Ksh 2000 ($23) rent for 4 months. She was under the care of her younger sister. Conjestina was later taken to the Mathari Hospital by Ida Odinga. A popular campaign on social media raised enough money for her to move into a more comfortable dwelling. The comedian Daniel Ndambuki (Churchill) personally donated 180,000 s to pay her rent after public pressure reminded him of a promise he had made to support her.^[4]

Professional boxing record

27 fights	17 wins	6 losses
By knockout	8	1
By decision	9	5
Draws	4

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
27	Win	17-6-4	Angel McKenzie	UD	10, 2:00	27 Feb 2010	Charter Hall, Nairobi, Kenya
26	Win	16-6-4	Batroba Lihavi	TKO	4	29 Aug 2009	Chui Restaurant, Nairobi, Kenya
25	Draw	15-6-4	Maria Lindberg	PTS	10, 2:00	8 May 2009	Royal Event Center, Spandau, Sweden
24	Win	15-6-3	Charity Mukami	UD	6, 3:00	28 Feb 2009	Hotel Casuarina, Buru Buru, Nairobi, Kenya
23	Loss	14-6-3	Natascha Ragosina	UD	10, 2:00	28 Nov 2008	Maritim Hotel, Magdeburg, Germany	WBA and WBC Super middleweight titles.
22	Loss	14-5-3	Natascha Ragosina	UD	10, 2:00	11 Jul 2008	Germany Rundturnhalle, Cuxhaven, Germany	GBU and WIBF Super middleweight titles.
21	Win	14-4-3	Batroba Lihavi	TKO	3, 1:58	13 Apr 2008	Club Afrique, Nairobi, Kenya
20	Win	13-4-3	Charity Mukami	MD	6, 2:00	8 Dec 2007	Charter Hall, Nairobi, Kenya
19	Win	12-4-3	Emily Kabwalo	PTS	6, 2:00	14 Jul 2007	Moi International Sport Centre, Kasarani, Kenya
18	Win	11-4-3	Jalala Salum	KO	2	12 May 2007	Charter Hall, Nairobi, Kenya
17	Win	10-4-3	Monica Mwakasanga	TKO	5	10 Mar 2007	Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi, Kenya
16	Loss	9-4-3	Laura Ramsey	TKO	6	20 Jan 2007	Travellers Beach Hotel & Club, Mombasa, Kenya	GBU Female World Middleweight title
15	Loss	9-3-3	Janaya Davis	PTS	6, 2:00	2 Dec 2006	Moi International Sport Centre, Nairobi, Kenya
14	Win	9-2-3	Florence Nalukwago	UD	6, 2:00	5 Aug 2006	Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi, Kenya
13	Loss	8-2-3	Yvonne Reis	SD	10, 2:00	1 Apr 2006	Moi International Sport Centre, Nairobi, Kenya	WBC World Female Middleweight title
12	Win	8-1-3	Monalisa Sibanda	UD	6, 2:00	4 Feb 2006	Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi, Kenya
11	Win	7-1-3	Guillermina Fernandez	TKO	1, 1:42	24 Dec 2005	Kenyatta International Conference Centre, Nairobi, Kenya	WBF Women's Middleweight title
10	Win	6-1-3	Monica Mwakasanga	TKO	9	21 Aug 2005	Moi International Sport Centre, Nairobi, Kenya	WIBF World Middleweight title
9	Win	5-1-3	Monica Mwakasanga	KO	5	25 Mar 2005	Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi, Kenya
8	Win	4-1-3	Fiona Tugume	UD	10, 2:00	19 Dec 2004	Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi, Kenya	GBU Female Middleweight title
7	Loss	3-1-3	Monica Mwakasanga	UD	6, 2:00	15 Nov 2004	Tripple A Hotel, Arusha, Tanzania
6	Win	3-0-3	Fiona Tugume	KO	7	23 Oct 2004	Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi, Kenya	Africa Women's Middleweight Title
5	Draw	2-0-3	Jane Kavulani	PTS	4, 2:00	28 Aug 2004	Jam Rescue 2 Club, Nairobi, Kenya
4	Draw	2-0-2	Fatuma Zarika	PTS	4, 2:00	13 Dec 2003	Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi, Kenya
3	Win	2-0-1	Jane Kavulani	PTS	4, 2:00	15 May 2003	Nairobi, Kenya
2	Draw	1-0-1	Damaris Muthoni	PTS	4, 2:00	Sept 9, 2002	Nairobi, Kenya
1	Win	1-0-0	Naomi Wanjiku	PTS	4, 2:00	8 Jun 2002	Nairobi, Kenya