Bombers eye glory at Zone 3 Africa Boxing Championship Finals
Uganda has made a strong statement at the tournament, with nine of the 16 elite boxers fielded advancing to the finals and now vying for gold medals.
Heavyweight Aziz Ringo, the grandson of former Ugandan president Idi Amin is among the 9 Ugandan boxers at the final
By Fred Kisekka
Journalists @New Vision
Zone 3 Africa Boxing Championship
October 16-25. Nairobi Kenya
Uganda’s national boxing team, the Bombers, is poised to battle for continental supremacy as the Zone 3 Africa Boxing Championship reaches its climax today (Friday) at the Kasarani Indoor Arena in Nairobi, Kenya.
Uganda has made a strong statement at the tournament, with nine of the 16 elite boxers fielded advancing to the finals and now vying for gold medals.
Leading the charge is heavyweight sensation Aziz Ringo, grandson of former Ugandan president Idi Amin. Representing Kololo Boxing Club, Ringo has been the standout performer for the Bombers, delivering two emphatic knockouts in his debut outing with the national team.
The reigning Uganda Boxing Champions League heavyweight titleholder stopped DR Congo’s Mbagu Mukewa in the first round of the semifinals and dispatched Tanzania’s Emmanuel Agustino in the quarterfinals.
Ringo appears to be channeling his grandfather’s famed boxing philosophy: “Go for the knockout rather than rely on the judges”—a strategy that has served him well so far.
Joining him in the finals are team captain Kasim Murungi (featherweight), Farahat Manirola (light welterweight), Alfred ‘Gorilla’ Ojok (middleweight), Samuel Ochen (bantamweight), and Edward ‘Pastor’ Mukwaya (welterweight).
On the women’s side, Uganda will be represented by captain Emily Nakalema (welterweight), Brenda Muduwa (flyweight), and Fatumah Nabikolo (featherweight), all of whom are determined to clinch gold in their respective categories.
Meanwhile, Wednesday’s evening session saw flyweight Livingston Matovu, light middleweight Alex Kanabi, and light welterweight Erina Namutebi bow out in the semifinals. The trio will take home bronze medals for their efforts.
Bombers head coach Lawrence Kalyango, popularly known as Coach Lora, remains optimistic about Uganda’s chances against defending champions DR Congo and hosts Kenya, who have 13 and 12 finalists respectively.
“Having nine boxers out of sixteen reach the finals is a big achievement for us,” Kalyango told Vision Sport. “Our next mission is to dethrone defending champions DRC and challenge Kenya, who are benefiting from home advantage.”
“We don’t care that DRC and Kenya have more finalists. Our goal is simple—win every fight and bring home nine gold medals. Then we’ll wait and see what happens.”