Mr Bucks: Merry xmas to Bombers
SOMEWHERE on the foothills of the Rwenzori mountains a very crucial mission has made the national boxing team forego Christmas celebrations.
By Samson Opus
in Hima, Kasese
SOMEWHERE on the foothills of the Rwenzori mountains a very crucial mission has made the national boxing team forego Christmas celebrations.
To the Bombers, who are camped at a high altitude camp in Hima, the festivities will have to wait until the team has got qualifiers for the Athens Olympics.
The Ezra Boxing Board (EBB) funded team is preparing first for a January 14 to 21 qualifier in Morocco before a similar competition in Botswana in March.
The determination in Hima is understandable.The boxers, well aware that theirs will be a do-or-die task after failing to qualify at the Abuja All Africa Games, have vowed not to disappoint.
When The New Vision visited the camp at the Hima Cement Social Center gymnasium, team captain Joseph Lubega aptly summed up the mood.
“I think this time we shall bomb anyone in our way,†said Lubega of the 11-man squad.
Morale was further boosted with an EBB sh50,000 per boxer Christmas offer on Monday. EBB cordinator Johnson Kasajja handed over the money.
EBB had a fortnight earlier set a record by paying the boxers’ and coaches allowances before the one-month camp.
“We have never received such special training. We are enjoying every bit of it,†said Lubega after a workout.
Uganda Amateur Boxing Federation (UABF) and EBB are taking no chances. They have boosted national coach Dick Katende with the services of assistants Kent Musa and Stephen Aciga.
UABF president Vincent Byarugaba is amongst those impressed by the effects of exclusion from the encumbrances of the city.
“The response is good, morale is high. We are just in final touches,†remarked Byarugaba, also EBB’s chairman.
Also striking about the team is its smartness. EBB has availed the fighters with a new full kit.
Hima residents daily throng the team’s roadwork and sparring sessions.
in Hima, Kasese
SOMEWHERE on the foothills of the Rwenzori mountains a very crucial mission has made the national boxing team forego Christmas celebrations.
To the Bombers, who are camped at a high altitude camp in Hima, the festivities will have to wait until the team has got qualifiers for the Athens Olympics.
The Ezra Boxing Board (EBB) funded team is preparing first for a January 14 to 21 qualifier in Morocco before a similar competition in Botswana in March.
The determination in Hima is understandable.The boxers, well aware that theirs will be a do-or-die task after failing to qualify at the Abuja All Africa Games, have vowed not to disappoint.
When The New Vision visited the camp at the Hima Cement Social Center gymnasium, team captain Joseph Lubega aptly summed up the mood.
“I think this time we shall bomb anyone in our way,†said Lubega of the 11-man squad.
Morale was further boosted with an EBB sh50,000 per boxer Christmas offer on Monday. EBB cordinator Johnson Kasajja handed over the money.
EBB had a fortnight earlier set a record by paying the boxers’ and coaches allowances before the one-month camp.
“We have never received such special training. We are enjoying every bit of it,†said Lubega after a workout.
Uganda Amateur Boxing Federation (UABF) and EBB are taking no chances. They have boosted national coach Dick Katende with the services of assistants Kent Musa and Stephen Aciga.
UABF president Vincent Byarugaba is amongst those impressed by the effects of exclusion from the encumbrances of the city.
“The response is good, morale is high. We are just in final touches,†remarked Byarugaba, also EBB’s chairman.
Also striking about the team is its smartness. EBB has availed the fighters with a new full kit.
Hima residents daily throng the team’s roadwork and sparring sessions.