From reclaiming its top seat as an East African giant to seeing professional boxing breathe once again and the birth of new stars through the UBF Boxing Champions League.

But the national boxing team ‘The bombers’ failed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games for the first time in 67 years and Moses Muhangi’s 12 days spent in Luzira prison stood tall.

The above is a summary of some of the major highlights of Ugandan boxing in 2023.

The Bombers show in Cameroon

2023 witnessed the national boxing team ‘The Bombers’ reclaim its top seat as East African giants at the Africa Boxing Championships in Cameroon.

Two silver medals, five bronze, and returning home with a whooping sh194m in prize money was worth it more so for a team that had trained for only four days.

This year’s Africa Boxing Championships were held in Yaoundé from July 25 to August 5.

Lightweight Wasswa Ssali, a taxi driver at Bwaise, Busega, Kalerwe- Kyebando route, was the bomber’s starman in Yaounde.

The Lukanga Boxing Club pugilist won a silver medal as UPDF’s light welterweight Erina Namutebi.

Industrious welterweight Ukasha Matovu, middleweight Ronald Okello, super heavyweight Solomon Geko, light flyweight Grance Nankinga, and welterweight Emily Nakalema were the other bomber’s medalists with bronze each.

In total, they returned home with seven medals and sh194m in prize money to reclaim their position as East African giants.

Birth of new stars

2023 has bred new stars both in open boxing commonly known as amateur and on the professional side.

Starting with open boxing, some notable figures include electric Shafic Mawanda whose unstoppable form has seen him break into the bombers' team this year.

On his bomber’s debut, he was a quarter-finalist at this year’s Africa Olympic qualifiers in Senegal.

Mawanda defeated Senegalese Papa Mamadou Sow before losing to Ghanaian Allotey Theophilus Kpakpo at the quarters.

Other new talents born include featherweight Kassim Murungi, COBAP boxing club’s light middleweight Brolline Kimbugwe, bantamweight Nadia Najjemba, journalist featherweight Sharua Ndagire, lightweight Zahara Nandawula and Erina Namutebi.

Moses Muhangi, the Uganda Boxing Federation (UBF) president asserts their idea to reinstate a boxing league has paved the way for new talents to come.

“Our vision was to see our boxers active throughout the year. It is why we came out with the UBF Boxing Champions League which has groomed new talents,” Muhangi said.

Bombers's Olympic dream on hold

2023 set a bad record in the folks of Ugandan open boxing during the Africa Olympic qualifiers in Dakar, Senegal.

The bomber’s campaign to punch their way to next year’s Paris Olympic Games ended as they failed to qualify through continental qualifiers for the first time in 67 years.

None of the six boxers that represented Uganda in Dakar qualified.

They were led by captain Joshua Tukamuhebwa and Shadir Musa.

Others include light middleweight Isaac Zebra Ssenyange Jr, Shafic Mawanda, featherweight Jonathan Kyobe, and flyweight Grace Nankinga.

Since the 1956 Melbourne Games, Ugandan boxers have never failed to punch their way to the Olympic games via continental qualifiers.

The only two times boxing failed to represent Uganda at the Olympic games was the 2012 London Games when IBA, the International Boxing Association body had banned Uganda Boxing Federation (UBF) during administrative wrangles between Godfrey Nyakana and Rodger Ddungu.

The other is the 1976 Canada Olympic games that Africa boycotted in protest against Apartheid in South Africa.

Muhangi jailed

On May 18, UBF’s Muhangi was sent to Luzira prison on forgery and falsification charges, while accounting for government money.

He spent 12 days in the coolers before Magistrate Ritah Neumba Kidasa released him on bail on June 31, 2023

In September, Muhangi vied for the African boxing presidency before he withdrew to give way to Ethiopia’s Berhanu Eyassu Wossen, the newly elected president.

Russia’s Umar Kremlev, the World Boxing President and relative to Vladimir Putin had his second visit to Uganda, on November 17 as his plans to construct a state of art boxing academy gear up.

Professional boxing breathes again

From the professional side, 2023 has seen a revival of the Salim Uhuru-headed wing.

At least two professional boxing events have been staged every month.

Uhuru, the Uganda Boxing Professional Boxing Commission (UPBC) president and Kampala central division Mayor said that at the start of this year, they planned to have a marathon of events to improve boxer’s rankings globally.

“2023 has been our year both in the ring and administratively. We had few activities in 2022 that led our boxers to drop in world rankings. I’m happy we are now back”.

2023 has seen featherweight Catherine Nanziri stand tall in professional boxing, clinching both the ABU Africa crown and the East and Central Africa title.

No wonder she is globally ranked second behind US-based Sulaiman Segawa on the list of Ugandan professional boxers’ performances worldwide.

Others to punch their way to the top include Netherlands-based Willy ‘The Ring Tiger’ Kyakonye, Germany-based Muzamir Kakande, middleweight Shadir Musa Bwogi and lightweight Latibu ‘Dancing Master’ Muwonge.

Like in open boxing, 2023 has bred new stars in the professional ranks led by 12 sports round’s trio of lightweight Farahat Manirola, Tyson Swalik Kisitu, and fans favorite Henry Kasujja ‘Stopper’ not forgetting Great strikers Jjunju Power.