Ssemuju's Olympic dream ends on debut
Algeria's Younes Nemouchi (red) and Uganda's Kavuma David Ssemujju fight during their men's middle (69-75kg) preliminaries boxing match during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo on July 26, 2021. PHOTO/AFP
What you need to know:
- The five judges also had an easy job scoring it 30-27 for Nemouchi, who now faces the highly experienced Philippines’ Eumir Marcial, who got a bye to the next round.
Uganda’s middleweight boxer David Ssemuju bowed out of the 2020 Olympics just on his debut after losing 5-0 to Algerian arch-rival Younes Nemouchi afternoon in Tokyo, Monday afternoon.
Ssemuju, true to his aggressive self, stormed out of the blue corner ready to attack but Nemouchi, bigger and sharper, was ready to prove that the first victory against the Ugandan was not a fluke.
Nemouchi defeated Ssemuju in the semi-final of the African Olympic Qualifiers in Dakar, Senegal, but the Ugandan thought he deserved the victory.
This time, although Ssemuju had the will to attack, he lacked the sharpness to inflict enough danger on the opponent or avoid being hit by Nemouchi’s long hands.
The Algerian, who has fought seven times since he last faced Ssemuju in February 2020, seemed to enjoy the bout, a luxury not many of Ssemuju’s get due to his characteristic non-stop offensive game.
Meanwhile, Ssemuju had not fought again in the same period.
The five judges also had an easy job scoring it 30-27 for Nemouchi, who now faces the highly experienced Philippines’ Eumir Marcial, who got a bye to the next round.
Now the pressure to score Uganda’s first boxing win at the Olympics in 17 years rests on the shoulders of Captain Musa Shadir Bwogi, who takes on Georgia's Eskerkhan Madiev tomorrow.
