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Uhuru warns promoters on poor time management
Uhuru wants change in boxing. PHOTO/COURTSEY
What you need to know:
Hussein Babu, the promoters’ representative on UPBC, said a boxing event should ideally start at 7pm and end at midnight.
Salim Uhuru used to be a constant at professional boxing events but nowadays, the Uganda Professional Boxing Commission (UPBC) president chooses fight nights to attend. Reason? They stretch through the night because of promoters’ poor time management.
2022 was the busiest year on the UPBC calendar in a long time—nearly an event every month—but the busier promoters got the lazier they became regarding time. The earliest an event started was 9pm and the earliest it ended was 2pm. Yet, more stretched to dawn and one crossed the 7am line.
Unnecessary breaks filled by wannabe artistes or speakers who make boring speeches and virtually empty promises have become a norm. It is also becoming common for a boxer to stay in the dressing room over 30 minutes until the promoter pays.
“Our ring officials are always at the event venue on time but the promoters usually disappoint us with unnecessary delays. That’s why I no longer attend these events,” Uhuru said at the launch of Latibu Muwonge vs Clement Albano ABU title fight last Wednesday.
But can’t the UPBC ring officials determine when the event should end or leave at their designated time?
“We don’t want to reach there unless all other options have failed. The promoters will say we are frustrating their business. That’s why we need to meet them over the matter.”
Way forward
Hussein Babu, the promoters’ representative on UPBC, said a boxing event should ideally start at 7pm and end at midnight.
“However, boxing fans tend to come late, yet without serious sponsorship, promoters tend to over-rely on gate collections to sort the event's bills,” Babu told Daily Monitor.
Babu admits delays frustrate old and potential fans but there is little hope for change. “But very soon boxrec will be charging $10 dollars per bout, which will force promoters to stage fewer bouts per event, eventually saving time.”
