Tugume buys coffin for Golola

By Swalley Kenyi

POLICE will only need to understand that it was just the usual death threats that precede professional boxing contests to ignore kick-boxer Titus Tugume’s comments to ensure his next opponent in the ring Moses Golola is dead this month.

Tugume shocked journalists when he walked into a press conference at Freedom City, accompanied by an entourage of muscular men carrying a well-furnished, giant coffin.

They mockingly mourned while they carried the coffin with a banner reading ‘on Friday 30 August is (Moses) Golola’s death’. This was in reference to the date of the East and Central Africa challenge fight between Golola and Tugume at the same venue.

The two kick-boxers, arguably Uganda’s most popular will finally clash in a seven round fight on August 30 after years of each claiming to be better than the other.

Dressed in a UPDF fatigue, dark shades and a tshirt, Tugume, who was also flanked by the army kickboxing club manager Capt. Richard Mpangire said he was just responding to Golola’s request for a coffin when they take to the ring.

“One time Golola asked for a coffin if we were to fight. It is here. We have carried the coffin as he requested and he will go into it in the second round,” Tugume promised.

Golola did not attend the conference as he was reportedly fine tuning for the contest with special training in Nairobi but his manager Susan Kiwanuka said that the fighter was aware of all that happened.

Asked how significant Tugume’s antics were, Uganda Kickboxing Federation Chairman Hassan Sekirime said: “This is just a sign of victory. It is just meant to psych up the kick-boxers.”

Golola is the East and Central African champion while Tugume holds the national belt in the super middle-weight category.