Richard Murunga
{{Short description|Kenyan boxer (1949–2018)}}
{{more footnotes needed|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox boxer (amateur)|
| name=Hero Murunga
| image=
| image_size=
| caption =
| fullname = Hero Murunga
| nicknames = "Dick" and "Tiger"
| nationality = {{KEN}}
| weight class = Welterweight
| club =
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1949|04|22}}
| birth_place = Amagoro, Teso District
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|2018|10|26|1952|12|22}}
| death_place =Nairobi, Kenya
| height = {{height|m=1.78|precision=0}}
| weight = {{convert|67|kg|lb}}
| medaltemplates=
{{MedalSport|Men's Boxing}}
{{MedalBronze|1972 Munich|Welterweight}}
}}
Richard (Hero) Murunga (22 April 1949 – 26 October 2018) was a boxer from Kenya.
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.Daily Nation, October 25, 2003: {{cite web|url=http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/25102003/Sports/Sports2510200314.html |title=Knocked out by injury |accessdate=2017-04-27 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040224060707/http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/25102003/Sports/Sports2510200314.html |archivedate=February 24, 2004 }}
Murunga was a bronze medalist at the 1972 Munich 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 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
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 and Kuwait, as of 2003 he lived in Bombolulu in Mombasa. He died on 26 October 2018, aged 65.{{cite web|url=https://www.tuko.co.ke/290129-kenyas-world-boxing-champion-legend-richard-murunga-dead.html#290129|title=Kenya's first professional boxer Richard Murunga dies at 65|first=Asher|last=Omondi|date=27 October 2018 |publisher=}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{boxrec|id=177206}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070208084904/http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=MURUNDIC01 databaseOlympics]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20200418063841/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/mu/dick-murunga-1.html sports-reference]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murunga, Hero}}
Category:Boxers at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Kenya
Category:Olympic medalists in boxing
Category:Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics