Miiro upholds family legacy

KAMPALA.

Of the five Ugandan boxers at the just-ended Commonwealth Games, Juma Miiro was the least expected to get a medal. Yet he is the one who saved boxing the shame of leaving Gold Coast empty-handed.
Miiro went as a flyweight, but he and colleague David Kavuma Ssemuju were drawn in different weights. Miiro trimmed three kilos to make light flyweight. Ssemuju struggled shedding nine kilos from middleweight to light welterweight.
Come the Games Ssemuju, a medal hopeful, stood the distance, but lacked the energy to hurt England’s Luke McCormack. He lost 5-0. Two days later, Nassir Bashir, a quarterfinalist in Glasgow 2014, was the second Ugandan casualty, falling to Swaziland’s teenager Zweli Dlamini.
Later that Saturday, team captain Musa Shadir Bwogi resurrected some hope, edging 2017 African silver medallist Merven Clair of Mauritius in a tense welterweight bout. Light heavyweight Reagan Simbwa did the same against Nigeria’s Lukmon Lawal on Monday.
The two had joined Miiro, who had got a bye to the quarterfinal. The rest had helped Miiro adapt to the new weight. He gained some confidence.
“I will knock out that Kenyan,” he told Daily Monitor. “I know him from the 2017 Africa Boxing Championships where he got bronze.”
But Shaffi Hassan was even more confident having revenged on Namibia’s Matias Hamulenya, who beat him at the 2017 Africa Championships in Congo-Brazzaville, eventually winning gold.
Back home, in Naguru, where Miiro learnt boxing, his grandfather Hussein Khalil, was busy on his Samsung phone, convincing Kenyans in WhatsApp groups to stop underestimating his kin-student.

Proving doubters wrong
“Everyone doubted Miiro,” Khalil told me. “They didn’t give him a chance against Shaffi but I told them ‘Miiro has changed recently and will surprise you.’”
Don’t blame the Kenyans. Twice, they had seen Miiro losing to an unrated teenager in Nairobi—first by knockout then by split decision in the Harold Obunga Cup, which KCCA won in December.
Even Khalil, who also coaches KCCA, admits that his grandson was lazy and he was nearly dropped by KCCA when the club was signing boxers from East Coast BC.
“Still, the managers questioned us why Miiro was losing too much, they wanted to terminate his contract.
“But since I told him, he woke up and improved.”
Khalil said Miiro is talented but used to be very unserious: “If you told him something, he just kept quiet, he was slow to react. That’s what delayed his progress.”
But he improved and the results in Gold Coast show.
“I wasn’t surprised,” Khalil said. “Since December Miiro changed his attitude. He was training hard like a man on a mission.”
And when he learnt that he was selected for Gold Coast, he became even more serious.
“I would find him here [inside the gym] hitting the bag, alone, shadow-boxing, everything. He would do more roadwork. He didn’t rest. He told me ‘grandpa I’m gonna beat them’.”
Even in Gold Coast, Miiro reiterated his promise: “I’m going to beat them.” But Khalil warned him against complacence. “Don’t be overconfident, stay focused.”
Miiro didn’t ‘beat them’. He only beat Hassan—to reach the medal bracket. And that’s what mattered. Losing the semis to India’s Amit could not stop his celebrations. After all, Miiro was the only Ugandan boxer to scoop a medal in Gold Coast, upholding his family’s legacy.

Family heritage
Hassan and Hussein Khalil are twins. Their sister is the mother of Ibrahim Juma, Miiro’s father. Living in Kenya and overseas through the 80s, Khalil did not see his nephew Ibrahim boxing. But on two separate occasions, I have been told that Ibrahim once beat Justin Juuko [the 1990 Auckland gold medallist] in the Novices.
Khalil remembers: “Kenyan newspapers had much interest in boxing when we were on top. Those newspapers reached Uganda. That’s how my story inspired [Ibrahim Juma] into boxing.”
Khalil learnt boxing at the defunct Naguru Community Centre, in the 70s under KCC BC coach Fred Genza. During the unrest that overthrew President Idi Amin in 1979, the Khalils fled to join their extended Nubian family in Kibera, Nairobi.
Under Kenya Breweries BC, he represented Kenya in countless events, winning medals of all colour. But the standout was that gold at the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane 1982, having defeated England’s Jim McDonnell in the final. He also boxed in Denmark, Netherlands and the German Bundesliga.
His nephew Ibrahim, now a truck driver in a Chinese company, didn’t go far with boxing, but his sons are keeping the gloves up.

Rating the Juma trio
Returning to Uganda, Khalil and Hassan founded East Coast Boxing club in 2004 at their home in Naguru. Like most gyms in slummy suburbs, it has attracted youth of all tribes and character. Some good, some delinquents. Some have reformed, some killed by gunfire for insisting on crime. Among the beneficiaries is the class of 2008: Muhammad Kassim, Nassir Bashir, Shadir Musa Bwogi and the three Juma brothers: Miiro, Fazil and Adam Juma—all southpaws.
Khalil calls Kassim, a former national light flyweight champion, the most gifted of all, though he is struggling with discipline issues, while Bashir, a 2014 Glasgow quarterfinalist, is the most hardworking and fittest. Shadir, the national captain, is a huge prospect.
Fazil now in Amsterdam, is the most successful. He got bronze at the 2014 Glasgow Games—losing the light flyweight semis to Ireland’s Paddy Barnes.
“Fazil told me ‘grandpa I wanted to break your record [of winning gold]’ but he got excited reaching the semis and lost focus, Khalil said. “I told him he couldn’t beat my record. Before I won gold [in Brisbane] I had been to several international events, I had experience.”
Fazil also boxed in the Aiba Pro Boxing 2015 season, but his contract was not renewed. Khalil attributes Fazil’s success to intelligence. “He was very intelligent, a good listener, and always wanted to learn something new.”
Miiro, the eldest [though for his slow progress and small stature many think he is younger than Fazil]. Khalil says Miiro has got the ideal training over the years and is ready going professional.
Adam, doing electronic engineering at Kyambogo University, is the youngest. Khalil says he is the most talented and can surpass his elder brothers. He won the 2015 national intermediate juniors championship. “But he is very unserious. You can’t know what he wants.”
As his brother Hassan painted the ring ahead of a tournament, Khalil dropped a stat: only three Africans have won Commonwealth gold in lightweight: “Me, Godfrey Nyakana and Ayub Kalule.” And: “Justin Juuko [1990 Auckland] is the last African to win the light flyweight division.” Khalil was not insinuating. He was hoping that his grandson and student Miiro matches Juuko’s 28-year record.

FAZIL JUMA

Boxed for: East Coast, Aiba Pro
Represented: Uganda
CW medal: bronze, Glasgow 2014

Hussein Khalil

Boxed for: KCC, Kenya Breweries BC
Represented: Kenya
Coaches: KCCA and East Coast
CW medal: Gold, Brisbane 1982

JUMA MIIRO

Boxed for: East Coast, KCCA
Represented: Uganda
CW medal: bronze, Gold Coast 2018