Trainer: Nanziri ready for biggest career fight
Nanziri (R) tussling it out with Tibesigwa in October at the Lugogo Indoor Arena. PHOTO/ABDUL-NASSER SSEMUGABI
What you need to know:
Nanziri, Uganda’s first female boxing Olympian, will be the co-main fighter on A & B Promotions’ fight card at the New Obligato November 26.
Ugandan Catherine Nanziri must put on a fantastic show in the biggest fight of her career as she vies for the vacant ABU East and Central Bantamweight title against Kenyan Nicholine Achieng, her trainer has told Daily Monitor.
Nanziri, Uganda’s first female boxing Olympian, will be the co-main fighter on A & B Promotions’ fight card at the New Obligato November 26.
Nanziri defeated Salima Tibesigwa to win the National Bantamweight Title October 1, a split decision that sharply split opinion. Nanziri might have outscored her opponent with counterpunches, but she was Tibesigwa’s left hand. She admitted it was her hardest fight ever.
“I must improve on a few things ahead of my next fight,” Nanziri told us post-match.
“Since then we’ve been emphasising those key areas she must improve and her response has been fantastic. So our expectations are objectively high,” said A & B’s head coach Ernest Majwega.
“Achieng ranks better and is more experienced but we’ve been training with all that in mind. We’ve had enough time to prepare well. Expect to see a better Nanziri than the one against Salima.”
Achieng is more experienced, with 53 fight rounds and ranks ranks 34th among 138 light fly pro in the world.
Nanziri, with 17 fight rounds, ranks 68th among 146 super fly pros in the world. But as Nanziri is looking for a fourth straight win since her debut in April, her opponent has a habit of losing.
In March Achieng eventually got her first-ever professional victory in 10 bouts—a revenge against Jane Kavulani, who defeated her on debut in September 2012. But July 1, she returned to her losing ways, conceding a unanimous decision defeat to Tanzanian Stumai Muki in the Diamond Jubilee Hall, Dar-Es-Salaam.
Whether Nanziri will turn that into an advantage will be seen.
Majwega has equally vowed an easy victory for Stanley Mugerwa, aka Santa, who will contest for the National Middleweight title against veteran Juma Waiswa.
TITLE SHOTS, NOVEMBER 26
S. Mugerwa vs J. Waiswa
Frank Kiwalabye vs Idrisa Feruzi [TZ]
C. Nanziri vs Achieng [KEN]
SELECT UNDERCARDS
Isaac Masembe vs Ben Sajjabi
Joshua Male vs Samuel Suubi
Isaac Ssebuufu vs Ivan Kambagira
