Bombers coach wants early preps for World Championships

Kakande (second left) Ayiti and Kaketo flashing their African medals at Lugogo Sports complex. The trio will represent Uganda at the World Championships. PHOTO BY ISMAIL KEZAALA

KAMPALA.

After the end of the continental qualifiers across the globe last weekend, national teams have hardly two months to the World Boxing Championships in Hamburg, Germany which begin August 25.

As such, Bombers head coach Muhammad Hassan wants the preparations to begin as soon as possible.

Uganda will be represented by three boxers: African welterweight champion Muzamir Kakande and silver medallists David ‘Ayiti (super heavy) and Geoffrey Kaketo (bantamweight).

The trio booked their tickets to the World Championships by reaching just the semi-finals of the AFBC African Confederation Boxing Championship which ended Sunday in Brazzaville, Congo.

“We don’t have much time yet we have a lot to do ahead of the World Championship,” the coach told Daily Monitor on the team’s return from Congo Tuesday morning. “If possible we can start training even this week.”

In 2015, four Ugandans qualified for the World Championship in Doha, Qatar but the event ended in a total fiasco. 2014 Commonwealth bronze medallists Mike Ssekabembe and Fazil Juma Kaggwa missed action. Super heavy Ssekabembe defected from the camp to join his UPDF teammates in the World Military Games in Korea while Kaggwa failed to make the 49kg, the maximum for the light flyweight.

Lightweight Hassan Abdu won his first fight and lost the next while team captain Rogers Ssemitala was eliminated instantly in the preliminaries. Uganda Boxing Federation indefinitely banned Coach Dick Katende (RIP) and boxer Kaggwa for the weight scandal.

UGANDA’S REPRESENTATIVES
Muzamir Kakande (welterweight)
David Ayiti (super heavy)
Geoffrey Kaketo (bantamweight)