Segawa rises to moment, thirsty for World title challenge

USA. Sula Segawa's triumph at defending his WBC USA featherweight title last Saturday felt like a thunderbolt of joy- a career breakthrough - for the 32-year-old who first dazzled professional boxing 10 years ago before settling into a longer, occasionally challenging journey.

He won the fight, that we knew. He was brilliant, that we also knew. What we didn’t know is how he would win it. It was another headline performance at the Patapsco Arena, Baltimore in Maryland, USA from the Ugandan as he retained the regional featherweight belt.

"It feels good when the fight goes exactly as you planned it," said Segawa. "All the training and preparations and planning with my team was on point and that made the difference.”

Pre-bout stance

Shortly before the start of round one when referee Eric Irizary ordered both boxers to touch gloves, Segawa looked at Dzanie with utter disdain, no wonder the latter was in trouble as early as 40 seconds of the first round of 10. 

Segawa, who weighed in at 125 pounds, a pound less than his opponent, started strong. He overwhelmed Dzanie by applying constant pressure with a tremendous clean punch output, taking away his spacing and timing. 

Segawa attacked with mostly punches to the stomach, an effective way to knock the wind out of his opponent. He aimed at the sides and lower abdomen additionally with devastating power. It shocked Dzanie temporarily, making him drop his arms allowing Segawa to follow through with flurries of hooks and uppercuts. His jab was landing straight to Dzanie's face like it had a guided missile. 

One of the areas in which Segawa excels is the loosening of his opponents before he finally preys on them like a true African lion in a hunt of a gazelle. He possessed both speed and power, a unique but rather advantageous factor that gave Dzanie a lot of trouble to an extent of getting another nose cut in round three.

Early victory signal

The fight slipped away in earlier rounds and at one moment in round two, referee Irizary was about to stop it, thanks to the bell that saved Dzanie who was a mess defensively and couldn't shake off his pursuer. 

Dzanie fights with his lead hand down and this never helped on the occasion especially since he had two cuts that he needed to guard. Segawa took advantage of this mistake and was always delivering his jabs at these two spots.

Segawa, who was clad in black trunks with golden stripes, had his complete arsenal at his disposal, including blazing hand speed, devastating punching power and a superior ring IQ, that earned him ‘The Technician’ moniker.

When you’re in the ring with Segawa, you need to be on your best behavior. His fearsome looks and stalking doesn’t tolerate mischief. The boxer from ‘Ghana’ with a moniker ‘warrior king’ in the Soninke language never paid attention to this detail and was punished. He looked a shadow of his usual self throughout all the 10 rounds, finding it hard to throw a punch that would hurt Segawa.

Segawa's ingenuity in the ring never disappoints. He controlled and outclassed Dzanie in each round making it easy for judges; Dave Braslow, Don Rishen and Paul Mallace, who unanimously ruled 100-99, 100-99 and 99-91 in favour of the former Kampala Boxing Club (KBC) boxer whose current record stands at 16-3-1.

And it is not just that his opponents are weak. It’s something about the way he’s wired. He has this unquenchable thirst for success. And you know, some day he will.

World title challenge talk

Ready for a World title challenge?

There are four major recognised boxing belts for each of the divisions; World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC), International Boxing Federation (IBF), and World Boxing Organisation (WBO) amongst others.

The WBA is the oldest major sanctioning body in boxing. Founded in 1921 as the National Boxing Association, the WBA awards four championships for each division. The WBA’s belt system isn’t popular with fans as many feel it waters down what it means to be a champion. 

The WBO is the latest of the four major sanctioning bodies. It was founded in 1988 and wasn’t recognised as a significant title until 2004 when the WBC gave the organisation its stamp of approval. It struggled to gain credibility in the USA – more acceptable in Europe. Many in the boxing community still view the WBA as the least of the major sanctioning bodies, but their titles are now recognized worldwide. 

The IBF is the second-youngest organisation having started in 1977. It started as a regional sanctioning body that worked with the United States Boxing Association, but it eventually gained significant recognition in 1983. IBF has one belt for their divisions. They are also the only major sanctioning body that strips champions who refuse to defend their belts. 

The WBC is commonly regarded as the most prestigious sanctioning body in boxing. The organisation was founded a year after the WBA was founded in 1963, and it’s been responsible for some of the highest-profile fights in boxing history. Many boxing experts view the WBC champion at any weight class as the true division champion. The WBC has four titles for each division: The Diamond belt, the Silver belt, the Eternal belt, and the Regular belt. WBC champions are expected to defend their belt at least once every year, but they can avoid this by paying a step-aside fee. 

Segawa has outperformed all expectations so far, and the question is not whether he is skilled or talented, but whether he is a bonafide World title contender in the four major bodies.

Ugandan’s qualities

He is a qualified boxer who has worked his way up the ranks in order to challenge for the world title. Segawa is also an elite boxer, more than just a fighter who displays amazing skills and can bring exciting fights and that is a key part of the equation. He has maneuvered through hard fights and handled top-ranked competition on a consistent basis. 

He has continuously faced the absolute best competition (including last Saturday's) and has continuously emerged victorious to earn his way up to or stay at the top level. He could finally get the chance to become a legitimate world champion if his team pushes for a fight.

Asked to talk about if he has plans to step up and challenge for a WBC featherweight World title since he has done well at a regional level, Segawa offered a deadpan zinger. "I would love it". Adding; “I will have to ask my team what the next step is, but going for a world title is every boxer's dream.”

Segawa’s fans across the globe will certainly be keeping their fingers crossed and hope that their favourite prize fighter gets into the ‘big time’.

Segawa At A Glance

Full Name: Sula Segawa

Nickname: The Technician

Nationality: Uganda

Sex: Male

Age: 32

Stance: Southpaw

Height: 5′ 8″ 

Reach: 69″  

Residence: Silver Spring, Maryland, USA

Division: Featherweight

Record: 16 (6KO's) - 3 (1KO) - 1

Bouts: 21

Rounds: 128

KOs: 30%:

Career: 2013-2023

Debut: 2013-04-21

Titles: NBA featherweight champion, WBC USA featherweight champion