Welterweight Ukasha Matovu is determined to lead the national boxing team to glory in the inaugural Mandela Boxing Cup.

Ukasha tops the list of seven elite boxers both men and women set to represent Uganda in the Mandela Cup slated for April 15 to 22, in Durban, South Africa.

The event named after the legendary South African freedom fighter, Nelson Madiba Mandela (Rip) will attract over 360 boxers from 41 different African countries.

“We are ready to rumble again. It is a great pleasure for me to be part of this strong team that is going to box in this historical tournament moreso one named after a legendary man in Nelson Mandela,” a delighted Ukasha noted.

“My target is to lead this team to glory. We are going full blast. The mission is to return home with medals.”

This is Ukasha’s second time to represent Uganda at elite level having punched his way to a bronze medal in his debut on the senior team during the 2023 Africa Boxing Championship in Cameroon.

Ukasha first represented Uganda at the youth level during the 2018 Africa Youth Boxing Championship in Morocco.

Others on the team include 2023 Africa Boxing Championship silver medalist Wasswa ‘Black Skin’ Ssali and 2024 African Games bronze medalist Kassim Murungi.

The women's team includes captain Emily Nakalema, UPDF soldier Erina Namutebi who also won silver at the 2023 Africa Boxing Championship in Cameroon, journalist-turned-boxer Sharua Ndagire, and debutant, 19-year-old Fatuma Nabikolo.

The team will set off for Durban this Saturday, April 13, under double Olympian, gaffer Patrick Lihanda.

Lihanda will be deputized by Kibuli Mujazi Boxing Club’s coach, Ibrahim Yada and Lukanga Boxing Club’s manager Daniel Musanje.

In total, Uganda is to field a 15-man contingent that also has two referees Swamadu Kitunzi and Abbas Rudolf with Moses Muhangi, the Uganda Boxing Federation (UBF) president heading the delegation.

The Mandela Boxing Cup is organized by the IBA (International Boxing Association), AFBC (Confederation Of Africa Boxing), the South African Boxing Organisation (SANABO), and the Mandela family under the Thembekile Mandela Foundation.

Before he died in 2013, Nelson Mandela was a renowned boxing fan.