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Shadir vows victorious return to Lugogo Arena
Shadir Musa Bwogi training at Katali Primary School in Naguru. PHOTO/JOHN BATANUDDE
What you need to know:
Bwogi was planning an African Boxing Union title shot in October but it didn’t happen. Nevertheless, he wants to end the year on a high with an emphatic victory over Gihi in the eight-rounder on a night hyped as the Big Show.
Musa Shadir Bwogi has not been seen in the Ugandan ring in nine months. But he is ready to give what his fans have been missing when he takes on Tanzanian Joseph Gihi in a super middleweight nontitle at the Lugogo Arena on Christmas.
Bwogi was planning an African Boxing Union title shot in October but it didn’t happen. Nevertheless, he wants to end the year on a high with an emphatic victory over Gihi in the eight-rounder on a night hyped as the Big Show.
“Shadir was supposed to do a title fight but we decided to push it to February 2025,” Baltic Promotions CEO Eddie Bazira told Daily Monitor.
Now that’s even more fuel for Bwogi to put in his best show to convince the promoter to consider him for a title shot as soon as possible.
The fight will also mark Bwogi’s return to the historic Lugogo Arena—where he built a brilliant amateur career—since his victory over DR Congo’s Samuel Muloko to win the ABU Regional title in August 2023.
Bwogi’s last professional fight was a unanimous decision defeat over Selemani Saidi at New Obligato in March—his seventh victory in as many pro bouts.
However, he has had a couple of fights in the IBA Champions Nights in Russia and Venezuela. He might have lost both fights but picked some good dollars in prize money and valuable experience which may give him an edge over Gihi, 7-3-0, whose only fight outside Tanzania, was a defeat against Ignatius Onyango in Kampala in September.
Bwogi will have the advantage of enough knowledge about Tanzanian boxers since his amateur days. Even his last pro opponent Saidi is Tanzanian. Gihi will also try to avoid a second consecutive defeat to a Ugandan fighter, moreover in three months.
On a night of memorable returns, Tanzanian heavyweight Alphonce Mchumiatumbo, more known as Masumbuko returns to Uganda against Nicholas Buule, nearly two years after his unanimous defeat to Yusuf Babu in January 2023.
inLikewise, cruiserweight Abdul Njego returns almost four months after his jaw-breaking knockout defeat against Cameroonian Merlin Tamba at BKM House in Kampala.
