A night shimmering with anticipation and raw determination, the Uganda Boxing Champions League Season 4 entered Week 3 with 23 scheduled bouts at Club Obligato on Bombo Road.
But this time, the spotlight wasn’t on the heavy hitters or crowd-favourite men’s clashes, the women took center stage and they came roaring with pride, purpose and punch.
For the first time this season, the energy tilted heavily in favour of the female warriors who have steadily built their legacies behind the ropes.
Among the most anticipated bouts, the Lightweight (60kg) Elite Women’s contest promises a fiery rematch between Arua’s Ayike Arafat and Kololo High’s combative Naava Getrude, a showdown already blazing with pre-fight drama.
Naava, brimming with energy during the weigh-in, sent a chilling message to her opponent.
“Tomorrow is my final day to defeat her,” she declared.
“So I’m going to make sure that I put it in the record, no lady has received a knockout, so I’m handing her one.”
Naava didn’t hold back on her confidence, positioning herself as a representative of the new curriculum boxing.
“We, the children of the new curriculum, even our boxing is a new edition, unlike the old one. Whoever has been in amateur for 6-7 years, just know you’re below par. Tomorrow, let her come and receive her boxes,” she said with fiery intensity.
Ayike, however, stood unbothered, her resolve as unshakable as her record against Naava.
“I last played her in December 2024,” Ayike noted.
“This is someone I’ve played four times and won all of them. I’m not spoiling my clean record, I’m confident I’ll clinch the fifth win.”
Her goal is more than just victory; it’s about mastery. “I’m very ready as a boxer and hope to exhibit some new skills in the ring,” she added.
The card doesn’t stop with the Lightweight headliner. Another storm is brewing in the Bantamweight (54kg) Elite Women’s Forces division, where Police’s Sauda Muhammad is set to square off against UPDF’s Namuyomba Christine.
Namuyomba was a no-show at the weigh-in, but that did little to dim Muhammad’s spirit.
“I am ready,” Muhammad said. “I have worked on my movement, footwork and speed, the rest will be sighted in the ring.”
Muhammad’s recent win against Kololo High’s Nabikolo Fatumah has clearly given her the momentum and drive to take on yet another formidable opponent.
Meanwhile, in the 46kg Junior Girls category, Busega’s Nakabuye Kevin came out fists-first, ready to clash with Lukanga’s Auma Trish, even in her absence.
“I’m looking to secure a Commonwealth ticket,” Nakabuye stated. “Auma has stepped into a polythene bag, she cannot get out. I’m ready to show her what we people from Busega are made of.”
Nakabuye’s vivid metaphor and fiery confidence reflect the hunger running through the veins of this new generation of female fighters.
As the Uganda Boxing Federation continues to grow the Champions League into a national boxing institution, the emergence of these bold, talented women fighters offers more than entertainment.
Week 3 will be headlined by a men’s bout between Lukanga’s Reagan Magumba and Eliphaz Mbazira of Nakawa Boxing Club.
