Manirola eyes WBC Africa crown after back-to-back wins in Russia
Manirola cemented his record against Chelokhsaev with a unanimous-decision victory at the Vologda Sports Palace in Vologda, Russia, on September 11, 2026, securing his second win over the Russian within six months.
Uganda's Farahat 'The Nightmare' Manirola (right) landing his atomic right against Russia's Georgii Chelokhsaev during their grudge rematch in Vologda, Russia recently. (Courtesy photos)
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Days after completing a remarkable grudge-rematch double over Russia's Georgii Chelokhsaev, Uganda's lightweight Farahat ‘The Nightmare’ Manirola has set his sights on the World Boxing Council (WBC) Africa title.
Manirola cemented his record against Chelokhsaev with a unanimous-decision victory at the Vologda Sports Palace in Vologda, Russia, on September 11, 2026, securing his second win over the Russian within six months.
Their first meeting was on March 29, 2026, when Manirola thumped Chelokhsaev, becoming Uganda's first professional boxer on record to win a fight in the former Soviet Union.
“This wasn’t an ordinary fight but a war of titans. In the end, I have proved to the world that it was not a fluke that I defeated this Russian in his own country,” Manirola told Vision Sport upon returning from Russia with his manager, Henry Ddamulira.
With a professional ring record of 14-4-0, including nine knockouts, Manirola's ultimate ambition remains to win Uganda's first-ever Olympic boxing gold.
Uganda's Farahat 'The Nightmare' Manirola has set his sights on vying the WBC Africa Lightweight title. 
“My target now is to vie for the WBC Africa title and other major belts before I switch my focus to completing my unfinished business of representing Uganda at the 2028 Olympic Games to win that precious gold,” he added.
Manirola's double over Chelokhsaev underlines how the 2025 Zone 3 Africa Boxing Championship gold medallist has defied the odds to punch his way onto a stage where many Ugandan boxing greats have previously fallen short.
His predecessors, including former International Boxing Federation junior-middleweight world champion Kasim ‘The Dream’ Ouma, Justin ‘The Destroyer’ Jjuuko, Badru ‘Mr Crush’ Lusambya, Joseph Lubega, Peter Okello, Muhammed Kabona Ssebyaala, Shadir Musa Bwogi and others, have previously attempted to conquer the Russian stage but suffered defeats.
Before Manirola's heroics, only John ‘The Beast’ Mugabi had, on record, remained Uganda's only boxer to clinch victory on Russian territory, although he did so as an amateur on his way to winning a silver medal at the 1980 Olympic Games.