Common wealth medalist knocked out at national trials

Juma Miiro, the 2018 Commonwealth Bronze medalist is still nursing wounds after being beaten to pulp by rival Moses Kabuka as the national boxing team (Bombers) team prepares for All Africa Games due August in Morocco. Miiro did not take part in the National Open boxing championship in January die to injury but was given chance to defend his place at the national team through national trials. However, Kabuka of Police Boxing club, who lost at semi finals of this year’s national Open (fly weight -52kgs), floored Miiro after less than two minutes of second round on Tuesday during the national trials at Lugogo. Over ten fighters are in this weight and only four will make the residential training squad after the elimination bouts on Sunday at MTN Arena, Lugogo.  “It it was a knockout, then Mirro has to rest for the regulated period of a knockout casualty which makes him automatically out of contention,” noted Zebra ‘Mando’ Ssenyange, one of the Bombers coaches. Miiro won his first trial bout against Aliga Gadafi on Monday but Kabuka knew that his time for revenge had come when he was drawn to face the Commonwealth medalist. “I warned him that I would floor him. Even last time to qualify for Commonwealth, there was just foul play from officials but now, I had to prove a point,” Kabuka noted after victory. The preliminary trials commenced on Monday after the Uganda boxing federation, together with its partners UNAIDs launched the second phase of Box HIV/Aids out of Uganda’ which intends to increase awareness on HIV/Aids, testing and counseling, blood donation, voluntary male circumcision among others. The campaign will jointly be implemented by AIDS information center, Uganda AIDS commission, PEPFAR, UNWOMEN, UNCDF and Infectious disease institute. “Boxing is another important platform to address other aspects of life like gender-based matters, healthy masculinity and financial literacy,” noted Moses Muhangi, the Uganda boxing federation (UBF) president. The campaign will this time move to boxing gyms targeting boxers most. UBF-Lugogo, Blue Wave-Luzira, East Coast-Naguru, COBAP-Lubya, Royal Prince Motel-Katwe and Aggrey Memorial school-Bunamwaya respectively will the venues for the campaign that started on Monday till June 21.