It’s a bad decision

Jun 23, 2003

ONE of boxing’s greatest comebacks was by heavyweight George Foreman, who after a decade's absence from the ring, slugged his way back to a world title aged 46.

ONE of boxing’s greatest comebacks was by heavyweight George Foreman, who after a decade's absence from the ring, slugged his way back to a world title aged 46.
Earlier, other legends, like Sugar Ray Leonard and Muhammad Ali had also re-emerged to win world crowns when everyone thought they were over the hill.
It is against such a background that it would be unwise to rubbish 32-year old Godfrey Nyakana's recent decision to return to the Sweet Science after a five-year absence.
But to mention Nyakana together with names like Ali, Leonard and Foreman would be flattery.
However if determination is anything to go by, then Nyakana's comeback could be worth comparing to the kind of drive that propelled those legends back to glory.
“I could surprise everyone with a big title,” a serious Nyakana, who is also a Kampala City councillor, told me shortly after announcing his comeback.
His seriousness is evident in the months he has invested training.
But, as I drew a comparison between the Nyakana, who narrowly missed a World Boxing Organisation (WBO) title in 1997 and the politician cum-businessman, who has lately been common in boardrooms, I realised that he was getting his priorities wrong.
True, Nyakana has the determination for a comeback, but there is a delicateness about him that screams out that he should be in boardrooms and not in the ring mixing up blood, sweat and leather.
There is something beyond determination in most successful comebacks. It is called hunger. Nyakana lacks it.
He has instead had to pay the price of soft life by bulging from his 1997 light middleweight to super middleweight.
How Nyakana will be able to juggle his political, business and ring duties, poses more questions.
Professional boxer Justin Juuko aptly described Nyakana’s position saying making a comeback is one thing and winning a title is yet another.
There was something philosophical about Juuko’s comment that Nyakana should heed.

jbakama@newvision.co.ug
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