First World Olympics Boxing Qualifiers

February 29 to March 12

Busto Arsizio, Italy.

Light welterweight Joshua ‘The hard puncher’ Tukamuhebwa will lead a four-man national boxing team to the first Olympic qualifier in Italy.

Of the four, Tukamuhebwa who is also the national boxing team captain is joined by flyweight Shafic Mawanda, middleweight Yusuf Nkobeza, and welterweight Emily Nakalema.

The four pugilists await an official flag-off to Italy on February 28 for the first World Olympic boxing qualifier slated for February 29 and March 12, in Busto Arsizio, Italy.

The second qualifier is scheduled for May 23 and June 3in Bangkok, Thailand.

As far as the qualifiers go, Arsizio is the last chance saloon for Tukamuhebwa and his troops. They are tasked with carrying the national team's burden for failure to qualify a single boxer during the Dakar Africa Olympic qualifiers in Senegal last year in a team that had also former bomber’s captain Olympian Shadir Musa Bwogi.

“We are going to fight for our flag and make sure one or two boxers qualify for the Paris Games. Our guns are ready. We have placed our bullets in the gun chambers and trust me we can make it,” said Tukamuhebwa.

“But that aside, we need everyone’s prayer. The mission ahead of us is a tougher one. All the cream that failed to qualify directly through continental qualifiers will be in Italy. It means we have to triple our efforts.”

The four boxers will be under the guidance of bomber’s coach Twaibu Mayanja and coach-player Nicholas Bbuule who has surprised many of how he made the cut.

Mayanja is optimistic his team is in good spirits to make amendments in Italy.

“Don’t write us off. We are going to try our best and you never know if we will upset everyone. It is not an easy ride but we know what we want,” Mayanja said.

However, Moses Muhangi, the Uganda Boxing Federation (UBF) president shares a different from his assigned coach.

“Without shame, we are going to this qualifier just for the sake. First of all, the team has not prepared well because the National Council of Sports (NCS) did not avail us money. So how will you expect it to perform? Maybe a miracle will save us. I can frankly say, we have a 1% chance of qualifying single boxer” the vocal UBF top boss noted.

In Italy, 49 boxers both men and women are guaranteed to qualify as 51 places will be up for grabs in Thailand.

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

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.