Boxing is one of Uganda’s golden sports well known for raising its bar on continental and at the world stage.

No wonder after the inaugural 1974 Havana world boxing championship Uganda was ranked fourth in the whole world, only behind USA, Russia and hosts Cuba.

It is in Cuba where light welterweight Ayub Kalule won gold to become the first African to do so on top of light middleweight Joseph Nsubuga’s bronze.

Between the 60s to early 2000s Uganda was a boxing power house.

It is an era where the National Boxing Team the Bombers clinched the only four Olympic medals the sport has won in the country’s history courtesy of bantamweight Eridad Mukwanga (one silver and a bronze), flyweight Leo Rwabwogo (bronze) and John ‘The Beast’ Mugabi’s 1980 games welterweight silver.

In the same period Uganda managed to win a mammoth 28 commonwealth games medals including eight gold.

New stars in electric boxers like Justin ‘The Destroyer’ Jjuuko, Kassim ‘The Dream’ Ouma’, Godfrey Nyakana, Godfrey Wakabu, brothers Charles Lubuulwa and Fred Muteweeta among others came in.

Such success was a result of more funding into the sport, basic infrastructures that also included two rings bought by former Uganda president Idi Amin, a gym in Lugogo and a well laid foundation from the grassroot.

Amin’s two rings are still used to date, with one owned by Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) and the other under Uganda boxing Federation (UBF).

As Uganda celebrates 61 years of independence, it is beyond imagination, boxing, one of its golden sports, is in an ebb and a dire state.

For starters, the sport has had no official gym for the national team in almost the last 15 years.

The current crop in welterweight Ukasaha Matovu, light middleweight Isaac Zebra Ssenyange, captain light welterweight Joshua Tukamuhebwa, featherweight Sharua Ndagire and others either train from their ramshackle club gyms under trees if not groomed from their habitual ghettos.    

Previously boxing owned Lugogo Camp boot gym that is located inside the National Council of Sports (NCS) premises.

Former UBF President Rodger Ddungu refurbished this gym in 2007 but since he left office in 2009, Lugogo camp boot gym has been under management of a one private investor Diamon Blick Blain.  

Uganda boxing federation top boss Moses Muhangi attributes the sport’s decline to lack of infrastructure and failure by the Government to construct for the sport a National gym.

“When you lack a basic facility like a national gym, how will you expect your sport to perform well? We have pleaded to the National Council of Sports (NCS) not twice or thrice to return our gym but all in vein” Muhangi Stated.

He added, “Failure to own our gym has affected us a lot. Actually, we had proposed to NCS to allow us pay double of what the private tenant gives them but they have never responded to us”

That aside Muhangi is optimistic, with his current administration they are ready to punch through all the barriers to restore the glory days of the sport.

“Despite the challenges, we are on the right path. Recently President Museveni gave us 11 acres of land distributed in the different districts of the country. We have another 10 acres donated to us by Buganda Kingdom”

Muhangi says

“We intend to construct a state of art boxing training center in Matuga, Wakiso district, a project that is to be funded by the international boxing Association (IBA)”.

Muhangi says, while Uganda celebrates 61 years of Independence, boxing that won its first Olympic medal at the 1968 games needs to regain its independence and glory days of the 60s to early 2000s.