The Uganda national boxing team, the Bombers, has entered residential camp in Buloba at the Buloba Forest Park ahead of the 2023 Africa Boxing Championship.
The championship will be held in Yaounde, Cameroon, from July 25 to August 6, 2023.
The Bombers have been training hard in Buloba for the past few weeks.
The team is led by captain Joshua Tukamuhebwa, who had a memorable outing last year at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Tukamuhebwa reached the quarterfinals in his weight class, the light-welterweight, after falling short in a fight that was awarded to his opponent on a split decision.
The Bombers team includes 17 boxers, 12 of whom are making their debut at the Africa Boxing Championship.
Emily Nakalema in red
The newcomers include Kassim Mulungi, the current national featherweight champion; Joseph Kalema, the lightweight champion; Ssali Wasswa, the light-middleweight champion;
Others are Muzamir Semmuddu, the middleweight champion; Ronald Okello, the cruiserweight champion; Lawrence Kayiwa, and James Baraka, both super-heavyweight boxers.
The team also includes experienced boxers like Ukasha Matovu, who won silver at the AFBC Youth Championships in 2018; Idriss Mukiibi, the light heavyweight champion; and Solomon Geko, the super-heavyweight champion.
Ukasha Matovu training
A notable absentee from the Bombers team is Jonathan Kyobe who won a Bronze medal at last year’s Africa Championships in Maputo, Mozambique.
The Bombers are hoping to improve on their performance at last year’s Africa Boxing Championship, where they finished 15th in the overall rankings.
The team will be looking to win medals in several weight classes at this year’s championship.
Courtesy Photos
