Bombers not fazed by inexperience ahead of Africa Championships
Jul 18, 2023
The team of 17 boxers including 11 men and six women, is currently in residential training at Forest Park in Buloba
Some of the boxers camped at Forest Park in Buloba with their coaches. Photo by Fred Kisekka
Fred Kisekka
Sports reporter @New Vision
The national boxing team, The Bombers, has returned home with ten medals in total from the last three Africa Boxing Championships.
It explains the task ahead for this year’s team which is chock-full of debutants as they gear up for this year’s edition in Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde slated to take place from June 25 to August 6.
The team of 17 boxers including 11 men and six women, is currently in residential training at Forest Park in Buloba on Mityana Road, and there is an air of confidence in the camp that this group can better their previous record this time around.
A total of 37 African countries are set to vie for the top prizes at the 21st edition of the championship.
The Bomber’s top guns in light welterweight Joshua Tukamuhebwa, welterweight Ukasha Matovu and middleweight Muzamir Ssemuddu, have vowed to punch their way to the medal brackets.
“It is payback time for me. I want to win my country a medal. Being a team captain comes with a lot of pressure and expectations but I promise nothing will stop me this time. My boys and girls are ready, fit and fired up” Tukamuhebwa, a 2022 Commonwealth Games quarter-finalist told Vision Sports.
Matovu alias ‘Morocco’ for having won a silver medal at the 2018 Africa Youth Boxing Championships in Morocco, has similarly set clear his ambitions in a medal in Cameroon.
“The fact that I won a silver medal at the youth level during my first time representing Uganda, a gold medal is my target in Cameroon.
Light heavyweight Idris Mukiibi (left) in a training session at Buloba Forest Park. Photo by Fred Kisekka
Meanwhile, debutant Ssemuddu believes he has got a lot in his armoury to return home with a medal on his first outing.
“It doesn’t matter whether I’m new to the team or not. What matters is my results in the ring. I want to dominate my weight by winning medals,” Ssemuddu said.
Task ahead
Under their slogan ‘Tujja Tujja’, Luganda for “we are coming”, The Bombers aim to better their previous dismal performance at the 2022 edition in Mozambique.
In Mozambique, they finished joint 15th with Guinea on two bronze medals courtesy of featherweight Jonathan Kyobe and middleweight Yusuf Nkobeza.
Their other outings saw them finish 5th in 2017 in Congo Brazzaville with three medals including Muzamir Kakande’s welterweight gold followed by two silver medals for bantamweight Geoffrey Kakeeto and heavyweight David Ayiti.
In Brazzaville, they had defended their fifth position having had a similar finish at the 2015 games in Rabat, Morocco.
In Rabat they won five bronze medals through light flyweight Fazil Juma, bantamweight Rogers Ssemitala, lightweight Hassan Abdul Asuni, heavyweight Willy ‘The Ring Tiger’ Kyakonye and super heavyweight Mike Ssekabembe.
Men
Joshua Tukamuhebwa (captain, light welterweight), Joseph Kalema (minimum weight), Kassim Mulungi (featherweight), Wasswa Ssali (lightweight), Ukasha Matovu (welterweight), Muzamir Ssemuddu (light middleweight), Ronald Okello (middleweight), Lawrence Kayiwa (cruiserweight), Mukiibi (light heavyweight), Solomon Geko (heavyweight) and James Baraka (super heavyweight).
Women
Emily Nakalema (captain, welterweight), Grace Nankinga (light flyweight), Nadia Najjemba (bantamweight), Sharua Ndagire (featherweight), Zahara Nandawula (lightweight) and Erina Namutebi (light welterweight).
Coaches: Twaibu Mayanja and Ramanthan Seguya.
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