In 1973, Kenya’s welterweight bronze medalist at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games, Richard “Dick Tiger” Murunga, relocated to Uganda where he took up professional boxing.
The former Kenya Army soldier is documented as Kenya’s first professional boxer, having later changed his name to Feisal Musante, initially fighting as a light middleweight in the regional amateur championships in Uganda’s Crested Crane colours before turning pro, winning three fights in Europe.
After defeating Poland’s Alfons Stawski, Iran’s Vartex Parsanian and Mexico’s Sergio Lozano in the preliminary rounds at Munich’s Boxhalle Indoor Arena, Murunga lost in the semi-finals of the 1972 Olympics to Hungary’s Janos Kajdi to settle for bronze, one of Kenya’s three boxing medals at these Games, the others panned by legendary Philip Waruinge (featherweight silver) and Samuel Mbugua (lightweight bronze).
And now, some 52 years later, there is an exodus – the other way - of fighters from Uganda into Kenya with the Kenya Professional Boxing Commission (KPBC) today set to announce details of the inaugural fight night organized by Ugandan promoter Steve Sembuya who has relocated to Nairobi with his stable, 12 Sports Rounds Promotions.
KPBC Chairman Reuben Ndolo and Sembuya will announce details of the professional training programme and a series of fights that will see at least 18 Ugandan boxers set up camp in Nairobi for the next few months in Sembuya’s stable.
Meanwhile, 12 Sports Rounds Promotions has lined up an inaugural, ground-breaking fight night on May 24 at Nairobi’s Charter Hall.
The fight night will feature professional fighters from Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Tanzania and Sweden with organisers charging Sh500 for regular tickets, Sh1,500 for VIP tickets and Sh3,000 for VVIP tickets.
Uganda’s UK-based Isaac Zebra Ssenyange Junior of the 12 Sports Rounds Promotions stable.
Photo credit: Pool
Sembuya reportedly chose to shift his base to Nairobi largely following changes to the Ugandan law (National Sports Act 2023) that accepts only one national association to govern each sport, throwing the future of boxing in the country into uncertainly given the fact that boxing runs under multiple organisations.
The Ugandan law recognized the Uganda Boxing Federation as the sole manager of Ugandan boxing, hurling future operations of the Uganda Professional Boxing Commission into uncertainty.
“We have been pushed out of business by our own government… instead of assisting us get sponsors, they are making it difficult for us to do business, Sembuya was quoted by Uganda’s Daily Monitor newspaper as having said in Nairobi after receiving his license from the KPBC.
Ndolo at the time said the KPBC had licensed 20 Ugandan boxers, 18 of whom will relocate to Nairobi immediately.
Henry Kasujja ‘Stopper’ is one of the top Ugandan fighters in the 12 Sports Rounds Promotions stable.
Photo credit: Pool
“This is a big step forward for boxing – we need the government of Kenya to now come in and support the sport fully,” Ndolo asserted at the weekend, adding that the arrival of Sembuya’s stable this week was coming with good investments in tow.
“Professional boxing is part of generating income and investments. These promoters like Sembuya are investors who need to be encouraged. We need more such investors so that our boxers can earn a decent living from the sport,” Ndolo said.
And at the weekend, Sembuya confirmed to Nation Sport that harsh operational conditions in Kampala left him with no option but relocate to Nairobi.
“Sports politics, sabotage in Uganda has played in major role in our exit from Uganda and to seek assylum in a friendly country, Kenya. As sports investors, Uganda has become hostile because of the boxing leadership that targeted us as a promotion,” he charged.
He added that his 12 Sports Rounds Promotions stable is also looking at expanding their influence beyond Uganda into the region and, eventually, the entire Africa.
The promotion boasts the current best-ranked, Africa-based Ugandan boxer Henry “Stopper” Kigogo Kasujja who enjoys a record of 11 wins (four via knockout), one draw and one loss.
“The 12 Sports Rounds Promotions has just signed the hottest, most popular and the best boxers from the amateur ranks, Owen Kibira, aka “Matrix.”
“Owen has been at the Commonwealth Games (quarter-finalist), African Championships (quarter-finalist), among other competitions,” Sembuya said and added: “The promotion also has Abdul “Breaker-Breaker” Njego (record: won seven, lost three), the light heavyweight champion and the most-deadly knockout artist in Uganda.”
Exciting fighter, middleweight James Sebalamu, is also in the 12 Sports Rounds Promotions stable alongside UK-based super welterweight Isaac Zebra Junior.
“Previously, the 12 Sports Rounds Promotions has managed and promoted Olympians Shadir Musa, the current ABU Champion, David Semujju, the current Asian Champion, and his young brother Isaac Sebuufu, among others,” Sembuya noted.
With little activity on the Kenyan professional boxing front, the arrival of the Ugandans is expected to ignite activity in the bare-chested game with Ndolo, a former Member of Parliament for Makadara, confident that the future of the sport is bright under his organization, the KPBC.
