Baltic Promotions mourns dedicated manager Ssekiwu

Baltic Pro Box Promotions will forever miss the selfless services of its operations manager George Ssekiwu, who died on Wednesday. He was 46. 

Eddie Bazira, chairman Baltic, told Daily Monitor that his friend, popularly known as George Grey, died after nearly three months of treatment at Mulago National Referral Hospital.

Bazira said Ssekiwu was battling high blood pressure for nearly the last two years but he had been living with it, training regularly to stay fit.

But in early June, Ssekiwu collapsed after being hit by pressure and the urgent diagnosis at Mulago Hospital revealed that he had suffered brain haemorrhage or brain bleeding.

Ssekiwu underwent treatment at the Intensive Care Unit for about two months but doctors predicted he would take quite some time to heal. However, when he left the ICU, about two weeks ago, for Ward 4B, he had been showing signs of encouragement.

“I have been checking on him twice every day,” Bazira told Daily Monitor. “He had started turning and recognizing people who visited him. And often he showed an urge to talk to me but he couldn’t. God knows what he wanted to tell me.”

Joseph Lubega, aka Joey Vegas, joined Baltic in 2014 after losing the WBC- International light heavyweight title. He has since fought 18 times, many of which in Russia.

“I’m going to miss George a lot. Now all those trips we had abroad are playing in my mind. He was a very strict and caring manager. One who could dedicate himself to accomplishing a task no matter the distractions and challenges.”

In October Lubega will return to the ring for the first time since 2019, but Ssekiwu was unlikely going to be part of the arrangement.

“Another thing I can’t forget about him was his sense of humour,” Lubega said. “He could crack a joke anytime, even in the toughest situations.”

Unfulfilled dream

Ssekiwu, like Bazira, were born and bred in Mulago, in suburban Kampala, but never worked together until 2006, after Bazira returned from Sweden, where he had lived since 1994.

“George was a very dedicated manager and loved his job,” Bazira eulogised a friend and a business partner.

“He went to Kololo High School but was never a boxer, like us, though his passion for the sport was unprecedented.”

The two traversed the world looking for opportunities for their boxers, or taking them to fight nights, especially in Europe.

“Sometimes, he was the only one who travelled with the fighters when I was too busy to go. I had no worries about his execution.”

Lubega said Ssekiwu had a dream of lifting Ugandan boxing to international standards: “He always wished he could get the mega billions to do it. Sadly, he’s gone.”

Bazira painted the dream clearer colours: “He badly wanted Baltic to get a gym and build a stable for all our boxers, the way Mayweather Promotions, Top Rank, Golden Boys do it.”

Ssekiwu is survived by a wife and four children. Mourners gathered at his home in Matugga for the vigil last night. He will be laid to rest today at 2pm in Mukono along Katosi Road.