Nowadays, it is not enough to simply be healthy—there is an added pressure to be seen as healthy and to look the part. A well-toned physique has become a symbol of fitness. A visit to gyms illustrates this trend clearly. Many gym-goers I spoke to were focused on losing weight, while others were more interested in building muscle and toning up.
Among the women I spoke with, most had clear goals of body toning, hoping to look good in their outfits. "Muscle building is for men," one woman from the corner exclaimed. "No, it’s not," another disagreed. The debate? Toning.
As knowledge about fitness grows, more people are discovering that weight training offers the best results for achieving both weight loss and muscle toning.
However, Daniel ‘Tyson’ Otieno, a former Kenya boxer, swears by boxing if one wants to achieve a toned physique.
“Boxercise is the best form of exercise than any other if you seek to lose weight while toning the body. I wouldn’t compare it to other cardio exercises which in most cases will help you shed excess weight but break down your muscles leaving you with not looking so impressive," says the 53-year-old who represented Kenya in the 90s.
Boxercise combines many techniques similar to what you see boxers employ in the ring.
"Boxercise trains you to be a boxer except that you won’t be sparring or getting on to the ring [for fighting matches]. This is why boxers are always lean and toned,” Daniel says, who is a boxercise trainer at Premium Gym in Nairobi’s Central Business District.
Boxing Coach Daniel Otieno alias Tyson (left) during a training session with his training team at Premier Fitness Center on Koinange Street, Nairobi, on February 5, 2025.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation
The advantage of boxercises is that they are compound workouts that engage the entire body. The wider boxing stances help improve balance, mobility and agility. Hitting the punching bags that weigh 90 kilos helps strengthen and tone muscles while the weighted cardio workouts help build stamina and endurance by targeting the abdominal muscles. Tyson adds that hitting the bag engages the stomach muscles and strengthens them over time, contributing to a tighter core.
For those struggling with "chicken legs," being on your toes while punching engages the calves, gradually sculpting them into a more defined shape.
Women and Boxercise
Although there was not a single woman in Daniel’s class on Wednesday when we did the interview, he says they make up a bigger chunk of his clients.
“Most of my clients are women, about eight of them have moved with me every time I move to a different gym. It’s pretty simple to see why they do. "Boxing is fun because it involves a lot of movement and technique, so it doesn’t get boring. Skipping ropes, throwing jabs, and wave moves—it’s never dull."
For women, boxercise also delivers impressive results. "It works the entire body, especially the stomach muscles. Women love the idea of having flat tummies, and boxercise helps achieve that." Tyson adds that many women are also drawn to boxercise because of the misconception that lifting weights will make them appear masculine. Boxercise, on the other hand, offers a toned, lean body without the bulk," he says.
But there is more to it according to the retired boxer as to why more women are falling in love with this type of exercise.
Moreover, Tyson explains that boxing builds confidence.
“Boxing builds confidence, once you put on those gloves you never want to remove them. When a woman learns to throw a proper jab, it’s empowering. It’s not just about fighting—it’s about self-defence. You feel stronger, more capable. You’ll hear them say, ‘Now I can defend myself,’ and that’s a major confidence booster,” he says.
Representing Kenya in Boxing
Mr Otieno began his boxing career in the nights and presented Kenya with several international accolades. His memorable outing was winning a bronze medal for Kenya at the 1996 Commonwealth Games.
"I started as an amateur and then turned professional after the 1996 Commonwealth Games," he says.
Daniel Otieno alias Tyson works out at Premier Fitness Center on Koinange Street, Nairobi on February 5, 2025.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation
How boxing ranks are structured in the country, is that novice is the entry point, and then intermediate then the Kenya Open then the Championship.
“I scaled the ranks pretty fast. At novice I was undefeated and so I was promoted to Intermediate. That’s where I got my nickname, Tyson, at the time the American boxer was the most famous in the world knocking his opponent out, I was doing the same here and so the nickname came from fans because boxing was big then in Kenya and it stuck with me,” he says.
With his newly found celebrity status, Tyson was offered a job at Posta Kenya.
“Posta at the time had the best boxing squad in the country, so by them offering me a job they were simply signing me as their new boxer. At the time Posta would employ any sportsperson who was good, you didn’t need any academic papers if you were good in a sport,” he says.
At Posta, Tyson joined the ranks of some of Kenya’s great boxers such as Valdez Ochieng, Omar Kasongo, Peter Odhiambo and the late David Anyim ‘The Giant’. At the time Posta were Kenya’s league champions and so I played for them in the league.”
As he boxed for Posta he also represented Kenya in international bouts from 1994 to 1998.
“In 1998 after the Commonwealth Games, I fully turned pro (professional). Valdez had relocated to Denmark where he was playing as a semi-pro and so he invited me to try it out as well,” he says.
Making money
The adventure was good. Daniel says with a smile which quickly fades away recalling his heydays.
“Valdez was playing as a semi-professional in Denmark. Back home we still kept our jobs at Posta. We would be in Denmark for six months and the other six months we are playing in Kenya. It worked for us because boxing in Denmark is played seasonally. We would be there during the winter seasons because indoor games during winter are quite popular,”
For two years, Daniel traded as a professional boxer in Denmark making a lot of money which he says should have changed his life for good.
“The bills were crazy in Denmark so I would earn there and come back to spend. For the two years I was there I made more than Sh2 million whose value today would be worth more than Sh20 million. For a single bout, I would be paid about Sh38,000 in Denmark, that was crazy money back then,” Daniel says.
It was easier to make such kind of money because in Europe structures are well in place compared to Kenya.
Daniel Otieno alias Tyson works out at Premier Fitness Center on Koinange Street, Nairobi on February 5, 2025.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation
Going broke
However, Tyson's success was short-lived. By his late 20s, he began noticing that matchmakers were no longer interested in him.
"Once you hit 30, your time in boxing is often over. I wasn’t getting invited to fights anymore. I would hear there was a bout of my weight category but I wasn’t contacted. That made me realise my time was up," he explains. "Look at Mike Tyson, he made most of his money in his career in his early 20s when he was the hottest property at the time."
The high costs of living in Denmark, combined with his dwindling boxing career, led Daniel to return to Kenya. "I came back home broke. I hadn’t invested any of the money I earned. I had spent it on fancy clothes, alcohol, and women."
Back in Kenya, Daniel faced financial struggles, and his job at Posta didn’t last long. "I was retrenched in 2002, just a year after I retired from boxing. Life became tough. I had to take on several jobs to survive," he says.
"It was then that I realised that I could actually turn my knowledge into a capital-making venture and so I began going around fitness centres inquiring if they would be interested in a boxercise coach and gradually introduced it into several gyms as its form of workout. That’s what I have been doing ever since,” he says.
