Africa’s Boxing Don Samuel Lukanga warmly welcomes special recognition from Real Stars Sports Monthly Award.
Lukanga, who has for over 30 years been cashing money into Uganda and the African sporting industry, has done much to be honoured with a Lifetime Achievement award.
While receiving the accolade at the event held at Lazio Restaurant in Kololo – Kampala, Lukanga applauded the choice made by the organiser.
“To see me as a priority while picking the winner of this award is important, in fact it is a great vision to recognise me for my sporting life, which started many years back”
Lukanga’s sporting life began close to 60 years back as a child playing boxing, football, Taekwondo where he reached a black belt but he also played other sports at an amateur level.
In management, the Balangira Clan sports leader has a living history based on Boxing but is also adding on an over ten-year period in football.
With many successful Boxing Careers guided under his management, Lukanga explained why he spent more time in boxing than in any other sport like football.
“Boxers are better people than players in other sports. Boxers are loyal and trustworthy, they just can’t lie but in my ten years in football, it is where I saw players announcing fake deaths and other indisciplines based on lies, I am living with several examples.”
Lukanga who picked interest in boxing back in 1969 inspired by Muhammad Ali’s story which led the international boxing legend into the sport as he narrates.
“My boxing interest began in 1969 while living with my auntie when I saw on television the story of Muhammad Ali,
As a young man, he was sent to market with a bicycle which he left outside the market but when he returned from the market, the bicycle was not there.
While looking for it, he was directed to a route which led him to a boxing gym where he started boxing and reappeared to his family as a boxing gold medalist six months later and man who stole the bicycle returned it as Ali hands the medal to the man.
Coming to the event, the living legendary manager was escorted by his wife Eva Lukanga and Lukanga Boxing management, including Gideon Kabanda whom he started with to form Lukanga Boxing Club over 30 years back.
Speaking on the choice to award Lukanga, Real Stars Sports Agency CEO Isac Mukasa said;
“No one can come near Lukanga in funding boxing, making great careers, starting up and funding many clubs, taking care of boxers, and he was again great in football with KCCA FC for 12 years; he deserves even more.”
The agency, along with its partners, further awarded three athletes from three sports disciplines. Paul Mucuurezi won the football accolade, Muzamir Kakande took the Boxing accolade, and Israel Makokha won the Rugby accolade.
