Sulaiman Segawa punches his way up the boxing ranks

From overcoming the struggles of sleeping on the verandas of Blue Room Road in Kampala to being scouted by Uganda’s legendary boxing coach Peter Grace Sseruwagi and to being bitten by an opponent on the head before vanishing in the Netherlands where his professional boxing career starts.

It has been a bumpy road for Uganda’s USA-based boxer Sulaiman Segawa, the newly crowned World Boxing Council (WBC-Silver) featherweight champion.

Besides seeing it all, Segawa’s hard work, resilience, humbleness, and patience are key to his punching his way to the world’s top stage.

On Saturday, July 13th, The Ugandan southpaw continued to rise to fame when he unanimously defeated USA’s sensation Ruben Villa to clinch the WBC-Silver featherweight title.

Segawa punches Ruben Villa of the USA

Their blockbuster, organized by renowned giants ‘Top Rank Pro Boxing’ was at a filled Palms Casino and Resort, Pearl Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Going into this do-or-die fight, Segawa was globally ranked 29th by WBC and 20th by Boxrec, a world boxing ranking site.

But his dominance of the American whom the WBC ranked the first contender in the division, left many surprised by the Ugandan boxer.

Segawa dominated this ten-round thriller, combining his lethal atomic left hooks with right overhand punches that left Ruben wobbling toward the final bell.

He also left Ruben’s right eye swollen.

No wonder all three judges Patricia Morse Jarman, Dave Moretti, and Max DeLuca unanimously ruled in Segawa’s favour with 98-92, 97-93, and 96-94 scores respectively.

Speaking to Vision Sports, Segawa says, “I thank Allah for this title. I’m now a world champion and it isn’t something I must take for granted. This belt means everything in my life. I thank my fans back home and the world over for their support. This fight was not an easy one but I came ready even if I was to die in the ring.”

Segawa (right) punches Ruben Villa of the USA

Victory means Segawa is likely to rank in the top three in the featherweight division in the coming WBC rankings.

Besides the WBC-Silver medal, he won the WBC-USA Featherweight title in 2023 and has already reached the heights of his Idol, Justin ‘The Destroyer’ Jjuuko.

Segawa's journey to the top

Abbey Mugayi, a renowned boxing promoter in Uganda says Segawa started boxing in the early 2000s at Uganda’s oldest boxing club, Kampala Boxing Club (KBC).

“I brought Segawa into boxing with the help of Emma Mwesigwa and Maureen Mulangira. He used to stay at Blue Room Road with his family in one of the ramshackle old Indian houses”

Insiders say Segawa spent many years sleeping on the streets of Blue Room Road and in Kisenyi where he eventually linked up with now USA-based Sharif ‘The Lion’ Bogere, former Africa Boxing Union (ABU) featherweight champions Edward ‘Messiah’ Kakembo and Ssande Swico and Sweden based Atanus Mugerwa, Boys Boys Ssemwogere, Charles ‘Skipper’ Mulinddwa, Deo Kijjambu among others at KBC.

Julius Sseruwagi, the son of Uganda’s legendary boxing coach Peter Sseruwagi (rip) gave him the basics of the sweet science before he got the attention of his father Sseruwagi.

He eventually turned into one of the national boxing team elite boxers under Coaches Meddie Mulandi and Ades Sero, brother to Cornelius Edward Boza, a former world champion and now the manager of Floyd Mayweather gym in the USA.

In 2016 Segawa was part of Uganda’s boxing team with the likes of Kennedy Katende, Atanus Mugerwa, Mike Ssekabembe, Ronald Serugo, and Muzamir Kakande that went for the Africa Olympic Boxing Qualifiers in Cameroon.

It is in Cameroon where he made headlines when he dominated a then-Africa lightweight seed one, Algeria’s Benbaziz Reda who avenged by biting him in the head.

Reda was disqualified and Segawa bowed out at the quarter-finals.

He then won a silver medal at the 2016 Eindhoven boxing Championship where he vanished with teammates Fazil Juma, Naser Bukenya, and Atanus Mugerwa.

Segawa returned to Uganda in 2017 and turned pro with the help of Maureen Mulangira, the current ABU General Secretary and Uganda Profession Boxing Commission (UPBC) treasurer.

To Mulangira, “Segawa is my son. I have groomed him since his childhood up to the time when he left Uganda. He is so humble and hardworking. A lot still awaits him.”

Segawa was signed in 2018 by USA’s Urban Boxing, his current promoter where he has enjoyed a stellar career under coach Lawrence Kennedy in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.

As it stands, Segawa is knocking on the door of entering the league of Ayub Kalule, John 'The Beast' Mugabi, Cornelius Boza, Kasim 'The Dream' Ouma, and Jackson 'Action' Asiku the only five Ugandans who have won world titles (gold).