When Michael Ezra stepped into the boxing ring for Uganda

In December 2003, with the clock ticking towards the 2004 Athens Olympics, Uganda’s national boxing team, the Bombers was on the verge of abandoning training camp.

Funding had dried up, morale was sinking, and the dream of Olympic qualification seemed to be slipping away.

Then, in walked Michael Ezra, already known as one of the country’s leading athletics sponsors, to change the script entirely.

Standing before the press at Hotel Africana in Kampala, Ezra made a bold declaration:

“I am taking over the entire boxing in the country, and boxers are never going to be needy again. People never realise what it takes to make a winning team, but I will take it upon myself to do that.”

He pledged to finance the entire Olympic qualification campaign, covering training, allowances, and all logistics. His mission, he said, was simple:

“What matters to me is bringing medals home.”

The Road to Athens

At the time, Uganda had already stumbled in its bid to secure Olympic slots, having failed to qualify through the All Africa Games in Abuja. The Bombers’ remaining hopes lay in two crucial upcoming qualifiers—Morocco in January and Botswana in March 2004.

Ezra’s intervention was immediate and decisive. He announced plans to relocate the entire team from Lugogo to a fully equipped gymnasium in Hima, western Uganda, providing modern training facilities and full athlete welfare.

Building a New Boxing Structure

In a further show of commitment, Ezra unveiled the Ezra Boxing Board (EBB)—a new structure designed to professionalize the sport’s administration.

The board included:

Vincent Byarugaba – President, Uganda Amateur Boxing Federation (UABF)

David Agong – Vice President, African Boxing Federation, in charge of administration

Dick Katende, Stephen Aciga Fula, Stephen Rwabogo, and Kent Musa – Board Members

John Kasaija – ETTB trainer, appointed as overall coordinator

With immediate effect, the boxing team was instructed to shift camp to Hima the very next day to begin preparations in earnest for their Athens bid.

A Pivotal Moment in Ugandan Boxing

For many, this was more than sponsorship—it was a lifeline. Ezra’s timely intervention not only salvaged the Bombers’ Olympic hopes but also signaled a new era of private investment in Ugandan sport.

It remains a vivid memory for the boxing fraternity: a moment when a benefactor stepped forward, not just with promises, but with concrete action—turning a team on the brink of collapse into one with renewed hope for the world stage.