By Juma Ali
At least three Ugandan boxers are guaranteed to return home with medals from the Africa’s Elite Men’s and Women’s Championships medal in Cameroon, Yaoundé. The tournament opened on July 27 and will close on August 8.
Grace Nankinga (light flyweight), Solomon Geko (Heavyweight), and Erinah Namutebi (light welterweight) will start their campaign in the medal brackets after receiving byes to the semi-finals in the draws held July 27, 2023.
This means they are already medallists, and Uganda will perform better than the 2022 Maputo championships, where Jonah Kyobe and Yusuf Nkobeza won bronze.
The trio are not only guaranteed medals but also cash prizes and could better both, depending on their progress at the tournament.
Gold medal winners will receive $15,000 (about Shs54m), silver-medal $10,000 (about Shs36m) and bronze $5000 (about 18m), while losing quarter-finalists will get $1,250 (about Shs4.5m) as part of the Shs3.7bn prize money package.
The semi-finalists will wait for winners from the quarterfinal stage to embark on their campaign.
Other pugilists received byes to the quarterfinals include Ukasha Matovu (welterweight), Joseph Kalema (minimum weight), Lawrence Kayiwa (cruiserweight), James Baraka (super heavyweight) and all the rest of the female boxers.
The rest of the team will fight their way to the quarterfinals and later stages. These include; captain Joshua Tukamuhebwa (light welterweight), Ronald Okello (middleweight), Khassim Murungi (featherweight), Ssali Wasswa (lightweight), Muzamir Ssemuddu (light-middleweight), Idris Mukiibi (light heavyweight).
Murungi faces Mozambique’s Sigauque Armando, Ssali Wasswa will battle Kenya’s Irungu Ethan Maina, Tukamuhebwa confronts Mauritius’ Collin Luis, Okello takes on Equatorial Guinea’s Obama Abaga.
Baraka will face Senegal’s Kebe Karamba, while Kayiwa takes on Democratic Republic of Congo’s Nathan Landu.
Idris Mukiibi takes on Kenyan Okaka Neithan, Erinah Namutebi vs Mulongo Sandra of Mozambique, Zahara Nandawula takes on Hadji Khelif (Algeria), Sharua Ndagire vs Morocco’s Hlioui Nouhaila, Nadia Najjemba vs Algeria’s Fatma Zohra.
Men: Joshua Tukamuhebwa (captain, light welterweight), Joseph Kalema (minimum weight), Kassim Mulungi (featherweight), Wasswa Ssali (lightweight), Ukasha Matovu (welterweight), Muzamir Ssemuddu (light-middleweight), Ronald Okello (middleweight), Lawrence Kayiwa (cruiserweight), Mukiibi (light heavyweight), Solomon Geko (heavyweight) and James Baraka (super heavyweight).
