He will defend his Japanese welterweight belt and vie for the vacant Asia World Boxing Organisation title
One fight, two titles at stake on August 21, 2025, at the famous Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
That’s what Uganda’s David “Tank” Ssemujju (8-1-0, 4 KOs) will fight for against Japanese challenger Kosei Nogami (4-0-0, 2 KOs).
Ssemujju will vie for the vacant WBO Asia Pacific welterweight title as well as defend his Japanese title he captured on August 27, 2024, with a seventh round stoppage victory over Japan’s Aso Ishiwaki, the first time the Ugandan boxer was featuring in a 10 rounder which however
did not go the full distance.
A silver middleweight medallist at the 2019 African Games in Rabat, Morocco, Ssemujju relocated to Japan in December, 2023 courtesy of compatriot and his coach Jeff Nygoi, younger brother to former Ugangan international London-based John Bosco Igoe who represented Uganda at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
In an interview with boxersworld.co.ke, the 32-year-old Nagoya-based Sssemujju said he has prepared well for the fight and confident of carrying the day.
“I know nothing about my opponent but I will destroy him,” roared Semujju after his morning workout.
As part of his preparations for the August 21 card, Ssemujju trained in Uganda for one month.
“In Uganda everything was fine training under different coaches to enable me master all fighting styles,” said Ssemujju, adding:”I used to spar with Isaac Masembe, Ssebuufu Isaac and other talented boxers, It was good training I enjoyed it being close with my former teammates, close friends and family.”
Coach Nygoi is also oozing confidence ahead of this important fight in Ssemujju’s pro boxing career, and explained why it was necessary for Ssemujju to camp in Uganda.
“The main reason we had him train in Uganda was because in Japan we don’t have enough sparring partners for him especially southpaws in his weight class. In Uganda they’re many experienced boxers who can switch between southpaw and orthodox so it was an ideal environment for sparring.
“Also being at home allowed him to feel comfortable and relaxed free from pressure. He could eat natural, familiar foods and avoid homesickness. Overall it was a strategy that worked well for him and us.”
Nygoi said Ssemujju is gradually adapting to Japanese life and is now more comfortable than during his initial days in Nagoya.
“He’s adapting well the language is still a challenge so communication with the Japanese is limited but with me here it makes him feel comfortable he knows there’s somebody from home with him.
“With food he’s come a long way. When he arrived he couldn’t eat Japanese foods like sushi or raw fish but now he says it’s delicious, he’s grown fond of Japanese fried chicken, french fries and sashimi.
I ask Nygoi on Ssemujju’s training, general lifestyle and whom does he live with?
“On training days, if it’s a running day, he wakes up at 5am, drives to the mountains in Gifu and does his mountain runs on his own and then he drives back to his apartment, showers and relaxes.
“He lives alone in a one-roomed apartment. It’s comfortable for him and does everything himself like cooking, cleaning. He just concentrates on boxing he doesn’t work, he’s given an allowance for food and other expenses so that he can do his own shopping, the house rent is catered for.
Regarding the August 21 fight strategy, Nygoi said they already have a game plan.
“We’ve reviewed available footage I don’t think we’ll have problems with his opponent,” said Nygoi.
“He’s calm in the ring, no rush, no frantic speed and he tends to throw short punches operating mostly as an in-fighter.
“Our strategy is to stay neither too far from him nor too close just the right distance to neutralize his strength. He has a rich amateur record with 64 fights, 56 wins and the rest losses. In his four pro fights, two went to eight rounds and his first two pro fights ended in first round KOs.
“Ssemujju is looking forward to the fight feeling relaxed and his weight is exactly where it needs to be.,”
Nygoi explains the importance of the August 21 fight to Ssemujju.
“Ssemujju is rated number one in the WBO Asia Pacific rankings, and his opponent, Kosei Nogami, is ranked number six,” said Nygoi.
“The Japan Boxing Commission decided this upcoming fight will be for both titles and because the belt is vacant Nogami is a qualified challenger.
“The significance of the fight is huge for Ssemujju. If he wins the WBO Asia Pacific belt he’ll automatically be in the WBO’s world’s top 10. From there if he defends the title successfully two to four times he could move to the top five and earn a chance to fight for the WBO world title.”
The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC) and International Boxing Federation (IBF). The WBO’s headquarters are located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
And how did Nygoi make it possible for Ssemujju to join him in Nagoya, I ask him.
“When I came for the Tokyo Olympics I built connections with three boxers in the team, Ssemujju, Shadir Bwogi and Catherine Nanziri. I wanted to stay and work with all three but the team’s Chef de Mission told me they needed to return home first and then I arrange for them to join me in Nagoya.
“On their return home I stayed in touch with two of them Ssemujju and Shadir, the latter went on a separate trip to Russia, so I focused on bringing Ssemujju to Nagoya. He initially came as a visitor and then his visa was changed to a boxing visa. His official promoter is Chunichi Boxing Gym but the upcoming fight will be under Ohashi Promotions.”
As Nygoi went on stitching the deal together for Ssemujju to join him in Nagoya, Ssemujju decided to campaign from home first, turning pro in February, 2022, after representing Uganda at the Tokyo Olympics. He joined the newly-formed 12 Sports Rounds Promotions owned by a Ugandan businessman Stephen Sembuya now based in the USA. The colourful and widely publicised launch took place on February 22, 2022.
He made a successful and forceful debut on April 1 of the same year, decisioning compatriot Hamza Latigo in a six rounder.
Ssemujju’s next three wins were all inside the distance. He TKO’d Samali Ntambi in the first round, knocked out Herbert Mugarwa in the third round and doing the same to Kennedy Ayoo in the fifth round.
With Nagoya deal sealed, the big-hitting Ssemujju finally joined Nygoi at the end of 2023.
In his Japan debut on March 31, 2024, Ssemujju outpointed Japan’s Hiroya Nojima over eight rounds.
He then suffered his first pro defeat, a split eight-round decision in his sixth fight to Uzbekistan’s 27-year-old southpaw Kamronbek Eshmatov on August 6, 2024.
“I can say the Uzbek is the toughest opponent I’ve met so far in pro boxing but it was a very close decision,” Ssemujju told me in a telephone interview from Nagoya.
Ssemujju has remained unbeaten in three fights since his loss to the Uzbek boxer.
He returned with a bang to the ring for his seventh fight on August 27, 2024, capturing the Japanese welterweight title with a seventh round stoppage victory over Aso Ishiwaki, and then he saw off Takeru Kobata with a 10-round points decision in his eighth fight on December 12, 2024. Ssemuju then scored another 10-round points win over Shisa Minagawa on March 23, 2025, in his ninth fight.
Comparing Japanese boxing approach to Uganda, Ssemujju said most of them are fighters.
“The Japanese are so aggressive in their boxing whereas in Uganda we’re more skillful and tactical.”
Ssemujju got involved with boxing in 2009 at Bogie Boxing Club in Kampala under coach Bogere Francis and made his international debut in 2017.
His most memorable achievement in amateur boxing was a silver medal he won at the 2019 African Games in Rabat, Morocco, losing in the final middleweight bout to Morocco’s Tarik Allali. The silver earned him the Boxer of the Year Award in Uganda.
Ssemujju said life in Japan is not a bed of roses but he is coping up gradually because he knows why he is there.
“It’s not easy here, sometimes I feel lonely but as an experienced widely-travelled boxer I’m used to this kind of life. I use this place as training camp to concentrate more on my fights.”
