The Ugandans have four internationals and their hitman Afred Ajok plus promising newcomer Angel Katushabe
Uganda will be represented by a strong team of 15 boxers – 10 men and five women – in the Africa Zone 3 Championships scheduled for October 15-25 in Kenya’s capital city Nairobi.
It’s the first time Uganda is taking part in the Africa Zone 3 Championships.
Included in the team are four internationals, African Games featherweight bronze medallist Kassim Murungi, African Military Games gold medallist and Africa Championships silver medallist Erina Namutebi, Africa Championships bronze medallist Emily Nakalema and Mandela Cup bantamweight bronze medallist Fatuma Nabikolo who made an impressive international debut in the 2024 Mandela African Cup Boxing Championships in Durban, South Africa.
The Ugandans have also selected their hitman, middleweight Alfred Ajok to make his international debut in the Africa Zone 3 Championships. He will battle it out with Kenya’s African Games champion Edwin Okong’o and DR Congo’s gold and silver medallist in the Africa Championships David Tshama. There’s fire in Nairobi if the three middleweights rise to the occasion.
Ajok, a deadly body puncher, put up a dominant show in the inaugural AFBC professional boxing contest in Tunisia early this year stopping Libya’s Issa Abdullah in the first round.
He punished the Libyan with energy-sapping body blows that saw him making three trips to the canvas and received two standing counts before the referee waved it off when Abdullah visited the canvas for the third time.
Coach Muhairwe Dixon, who is a resident of Nakawa, was very impressed with Ojok’s performance against the Libyan.
“I’ve been training him on body blows since 2020, most boxers prefer to aim their punches to the face, body blows are equally effective,” said the Ugandan coach.
Among the 11 Ugandan boxers making their international debut is impressive 19-year-old senior five student at Winstone Standard Secondary School, Angel Katushabe.
Angel was in the Kampala City team that recently took part in the Robert Wangila Memorial Cup tournament in Nairobi.
Normally a flyweight, the daring Angel moved up to bantamweight to take on Kenya’s star African Games bronze medallist Amina Martha Faki.
Contrary to expectations, Angel matched Amina punch for punch before going down on points.
Angel’s brave show against Amina Martha has earned the ambitious Ugandan boxer her first call-up to the national team.
“I’m going to Nairobi for nothing else but gold, I’m fit, confident and inspired for Zone 3,” Angel told boxersworld.co.ke in a telephone interview from Kampala today.
The head of coach of Uganda’s team is Lawrence Kalyango who be assisted by former international Abdu Tebazalwa.
Uganga’s 15 boxers for Africa Zone 3 Championships:
Women
Light-flyweight: Brenda Muduwa
Flyweight: Angel Katushabe
Featherweight: Fatuma Nabikolo
Light-welterweight: Erina Namutebi
Welterweight: Emily Nakalema
Men
Minimumweight: Ahmed Kazibwe Kato
Flyweight: Livingstone Matovu
Featherweight: Kassim Murungi
Lightweight: Jimmy Adriko
Light-welterweight: Farahat Maninora
Welterweight: Edward Mukwaya
Light-middleweight: Alex Kanabi
Middleweight: Alfred Ajok
Heavyweight: Ringo Aziz
Super-heavyweight: Emmanuel Tabula
