Richard (Hero) Murunga (22 April 1949 – 26 October 2018) was a

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

from

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

Amateur career

He started boxing in 1968, at the age of 19, encouraged by his father, Ernest Illuk, who was a Kenyan army officer. Two years later he joined the

Kenyan Army The Kenya Army is the land arm of the Kenya Defence Forces. History The origin of the present day Kenya Army lie with the British Army's King's African Rifles. In the last quarter of the 19th Century the British began actively enforcing the aboli ...

.Daily Nation, October 25, 2003: Murunga was a bronze medalist at the 1972

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

Olympic Games, losing to silver medalist Janos Kajdi. He deserted the army in 1973 as Kenya boxing authorities did not allow him to join professional ranks. Subsequently, he went to

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

and competed at the East and Central Africa Amateur Boxing Association (Fescaaba) championship representing Uganda under pseudonym Feisal Musante. He was later arrested, when he returned to Kenya.

1972 Olympic record

Below are the results of Richard Murunga, a Kenyan welterweight boxer who competed at the 1972 Munich Olympics: * Round of 64: bye * Round of 32: defeated Alfons Stawski (Poland) by decision, 4-1 * Round of 16: defeated Vartex Parsanian (Iran) by a third-round TKO * Quarterfinal: defeated Sergio Lozano (Mexico) by a first-round knockout * Semifinal: lost to Janos Kajdi (Hungary) by decision, 1-4 (was awarded bronze medal)

Pro career

Known as "Tiger", Murunga turned pro after his amateur career in 1973. He was promoted by Mogens Palle. Murunga was the first Kenyan professional boxer. He fought three fights in Europe, winning all three bouts and retiring late in 1974.

Personal life

Murunga had two wives, Mariam Wambui and Nawal Ahmed, and seven children. He converted to Islam when he married his second wife Nawal, and took a Muslim name, Khalifa. Formerly based in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

and

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

, as of 2003 he lived in Bombolulu in

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

. He died on 26 October 2018, aged 65.

References

External links

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databaseOlympics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murunga, Hero 1949 births 2018 deaths Boxers at the 1972 Summer Olympics Welterweight boxers Olympic bronze medalists for Kenya Olympic medalists in boxing Kenyan male boxers Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics People from Busia County