Shadrach Kipruto, a brother in the Nairobi Christian Church, may never have ventured into a fiery furnace like his biblical namesake, but as the reigning Kenyan national super-welterweight boxing champion he is all too familiar with the hot and hostile ring of professional boxing.
Shadrach, who began boxing at club level in 1992 and turned pro in 1995, was born in Eldoret, Kenya and converted in the Nairobi church in 1996. In 1997, not wishing, in the words of the apostle Paul, to fight like a man beating the air, Shadrach went into strict training and was crowned by the Kenya Professional Boxing Commission as national super-welterweight champion.
In 2000, Shadrach lost his title in a bout that saw him knock down his opponent six times, a decision that shocked all who witnessed it. Shadrach, however, is as tough outside of the ring as he is in it. In a rematch in June 2001 that went ten rounds, he out-boxed his opponent in what he said was one of the toughest fights of his career. Once again, he is the Kenyan national super-welter weight champion.
As consistent as a disciple as he is in the ring, Shadrach has been steadily fruitful. His sister-in-law was baptized in 1999, and he has also converted an old friend and two of his workmates. In 1998, his mother Ruth was baptized in his hometown of Eldoret. Which proves that Shadrach can go the distance outside of the ring, too.