Five fights for Uganda duo in Ireland

By Norman Katende

The Ugandan duo of Martin Mubiru and Kenneth Odeke are expected to have as many as five fights each for the six months they are set to stay in Ireland for a professional boxing stint. 

The duo, who are under  the Atlantic Entertainment Group are set to fly out tomorrow  to Belfast, Ireland where they will be joining East side Boxing club, managed by promoter and trainer Alan Wilton, to help in developing the game.

According to Andrew Nyakana, who has been pushing for the duo’s travel and has met almost all the expenses for their travel, with East Coast meeting all the costs while in Ireland, how the duo will perform will determine the future of more opportunities for Ugandan boxers.

“As a former boxer, it hurts when you find boxers roaming the streets and asking for sh500 to get something to eat. It is to degrading for the sport and that is why I decided to come in to try and see that they improve on the game,” said Nyakana, who is based in America.

He added that the opportunity is expected to benefit more boxers but the results will depend on how these ones have taken the opportunity to perform better.

“We want them to at first get training of international standard, get good fights but also get some money to be able to change their lifestyle. In the future, we believe that this change will go a long way into inspiring more boxers that they can make it and that are what we want,” added Nyakana.

“We want to see that more boxers travel for such opportunity in August but if these ones perform better, then the slots for us will improve and we have already told them that.”

Mubiru, a 2006 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist and Odeke were cleared to travel and they will now arrive in Belfast and not in London as earlier planned as the medicals had been completed.