Uganda fielded 17 elite boxers at this year’s Africa Championship in Cameroon's capital, Yaounde.

It is the biggest number ever to represent the country in this competition that runs from July 25 to August 6. Of the 17 boxers, 11 are men with six females.

We take a look into their ring records ahead of this 21st edition of the Africa boxing championship.

JOSEPH KALEMA-Minimum weight (48kgs)

He is the oldest on the team aged 36 from COBAP Boxing Club.

The saying Old is gold suits Kalema whose boxing debut was back in 2005.

In his prime years, the Africa Championship in Yaoundé is his first competitive tournament on the bombers.

His other tournament on the team was the 2011 East Africa championship in Nairobi under the troubled Godfrey Nyakana regime. Then he won a light fly bronze.

Kalema’s other honours include the 2006 national schools light fly gold, gold in the bika tournament under Balangira in 2006, and 2008, a 2006 national novice gold medalist, a silver medalist at the 2006 national intermediates, gold medalist at the 2010 and 2017 national open boxing champion among others.

KASSIM MULUNGI-Featherweight (57kgs)

He is the youngest boxer on the entire team aged 18.

A senior four student at City High School in Kololo with only two years in active boxing.

Featuring for Nagulu-based East Coast Boxing Club, Mulungi’s talent and lethal left hook have seen many of his seniors bow before him.

He is a 2022 national novice silver medalist and won gold at both the 2022 national intermediates and 2023 national open boxing championship where he was voted the best boxer of the tournament.

WASSWA SSALI-Lightweight (61kgs)

Nicknamed ‘Black Skin’, Ssali is one of the late Zebra Ssenyange’s prodigy boxers.

No wonder he has only boxed for Lukanga boxing club in his entire career, a club the late Zebra coaches and played for.

He made his boxing debut in 2007.

Aged 25, Ssali first represented Uganda in 2011 at the East Africa Championship in Nairobi.

This year’s championship in Cameroon is his first competitive tournament on the national team.

He is a 2023 national open lightweight gold medalist, won silver at the 2019 national open championship as well as gold in both the 2009 national cadets and Intermediates.

JOSHUA TUKAMUHEBWA-Light Welter (63kgs).

Nicknamed ‘The ring punisher’ Tukamuhebwa is a knockout wizard.

The bomber’s captain aged 23 comes to Cameroon with 9 KOs in his last 15 bouts.

The East Coast boxing club pugilist is both a quarter-finalist at last year’s Birmingham Commonwealth games and the Africa Championship in Mozambique.

His boxing debut came in 2010, a silver medalist at the 2012 national novices, a 2017 national open best boxer at the youth level, and a 2019 national open light welterweight gold medalist.

His first time to represent Uganda was at the 2019 Rabat Africa games in Morocco where he was eliminated at the quarter finals.

UKASHA MATOVU-Welterweight (67kgs)

Alias ‘Morocco’ for having won Uganda a silver medal at the 2018 Africa youth boxing championship in Morocco.

Matovu is best known for his electric style of stamina plus his atomic left hook.

The COBAP boxing club 23-year-old pugilist made his ring debut in 2016 and is vocal to finish the business in Yaounde.

He has previously won gold at the 2016 national cadet and Intermediates in the light welterweight.

Won silver both at the 2017 and 2019 national open boxing championship at the youth level.

Currently, he is Uganda’s welterweight seed one having won gold at last year’s UBF boxing champions league defeating rival Owen Kibira at the final.

MUZAMIR SSEMUDDU-Light Middle (71kgs)

His fighting style reminds many of another Muzamir, Kakande now based in Germany.

The industrious boxer features for Kololo boxing club.

Aged 21, Ssemuddu made his boxing debut in 2017 clinching gold at that year’s national schools championship.

He has won gold at the 2017 national cadets, and national intermediates as well as the best boxer at that year’s national open boxing championship at youth level.

He has replaced rival Isaac Zebra Ssenyange Jr.

RONALD OKELLO-Middleweight (75kgs)

Features for Gulu boxing club, Okello undoubtedly has punched his way to earn a slot at the bombers team.

The 25-year-old boxer made his ring debut in 2018 winning a middleweight gold at the 2019 national novices.

His rapid rise saw him summoned for the 2020 national team trials for the Africa Olympic qualifiers in Senegal. He did not make it though.

His performance in the UBF boxing Champions League earned him a place on the team, overtaking seed one Yusuf Nkobeza.

IDRIS MUKIIBI-Light Heavyweight (81kgs)

Son of former SC Villa and Cranes forward Majid Musisi (Rip). (Musisi is his uncle).

Mukiibi 27, a jab master features for Kololo boxing club and made his debut in 2019.

He is a 2019 national novice light heavyweight gold medalist.

He was part of the bomber’s team summoned for the 2020 Africa Olympic boxing qualifiers though he failed to make it to Senegal.

This is his second time representing Uganda. He is a quarter-finalist at last year’s Africa championship in Mozambique having been eliminated by Egyptian experienced Abdelrahman Salah.

LAWRENCE KAYIWA-Cruiserweight (86kgs)

Alias ‘The Wild Animal’, Kayiwa is a crowd puller from Kira boxing club.

He is a surprise package with no ring record in the youth setups.

Kayiwa 25, made his debut in 2021 during the national team trials defeating all the middleweight big boys including Police boxing club’s Hamza Latigo to win gold.

From then he qualified to play in the UBF boxing champions league which is a solitary qualifier to be summoned on the national team.

He has made the cut to Cameroon after UBF separated him from rival Idris Mukiibi in the light heavyweight.

His coach ‘Ex-Purpose’ Lubega is confident that in Cameroon, his boy stands to be the luckiest to win a medal.

JAMES BARAKA-Heavyweight (92kgs)

Like Kayiwa, Baraka came into the limelight past the covid19 lockdown in 2021.

UBF had summoned all boxers countrywide for a national team trial.

He first played for Kyengera boxing club before switching to his apparent club Lukanga.

He won gold both at this year’s national open boxing championship as well as the East African club championship in Kigali-Rwanda to book himself a ticket in Cameroon.

SOLOMON GEKO- Super Heavyweight (92+ kgs)

Aged 30, Geko is the most experienced boxer on the team.

He made his ring debut in 2007 but his quarterfinal finish at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games is the most he has done for the Bombers.

He is a gold medalist both at the 2018 and 2022 Bingwa wa Ma Bingwa championship in Tanzania and East African games in Burundi.

Domestically he is a 2015,2017 and 2019 national open gold medalist.

Women.

GRACE NANKINGA-Light Fly (49kgs)

Aged 20, Nakinga plays for the University of Pain boxing club.

The talented boxer comes with gold during the 2019 national open championship at the youth level.

Currently, she is the country’s seed one in the division.

NADIA NAJJEMBA-Bantamweight (52 kgs)

The Lukanga boxing club pugilist is the youngest on the female team aged 19.

Her hard punches, stamina, and excellent performance in the UBF Champions League have earned her a place on the team past Teddy Nakimuli, the 2022 Birmingham commonwealth games bronze medalist.

SHARUA NDAGIRE- Featherweight (57kgs)

A journalist by profession from one of the local media houses (Fufa TV).

Ndagire 20, features for Lukanga boxing club.

Her debut came in 2018 winning gold at the national schools championship before adding another gold at the 2019 national novices.

Since then she has been one of the most vocal female boxers with her electric performance in the UBF boxing Champions League.

ZAHARA NANDAWULA- Lightweight (60kgs)

Nicknamed ‘Mumbejja’ Luganda a princess, good at jabbing, the 20-year-old plays for Lukanga boxing club.

She made her debut in 2016 before winning gold at the 2017 national schools championship.

She is also a gold medalist both at the 2018 National Juniors championship and national novices.

Currently, she is seed one in the division and her dominance in the league contributed much to booking her ticket in Yaounde.

ERINA NAMUTEBI-Light Welter (63kgs)

29-year-old Namutebi is the only UPDF boxer on this bomber’s team.

Her debut was in 2020, She won gold at the 2020 national novices and 2023 national intermediates and national open boxing gold medalist.

In the league, she switches to the welterweight where she is seed two behind Nakalema.

EMILY NAKALEMA-Welter (65kgs)  

She is the captain and the most experienced on the ‘She Bombers’ the national female boxing team.

Nicknamed ‘Uganda’s Semenya’ in comparison to long-distance runner South African Caster Semenya.

Nakalema 24 comes from the Katwe Combined Boxing Club.

Her debut was in 2018, winning gold both at the 2019 and 2023 national open boxing championships.

She is a quarter-finalist at the Dakar Africa Olympic boxing qualifiers and a gold medalist at the 2018 East African games in Burundi.