Zebra gets second KO, in two weeks

Ibrahem Kandel either did not study his opponent well, or he was just not good enough to avoid Isaac Zebra Ssenyange Jr's most lethal weapon, that counter left hook that sent the Egyptian crashing in just the first round of the super welterweight contest. 

Kandel should have known better. But he attacked recklessly without impact, yet leaving himself unguarded. Zebra, who came cocking for a knockout, against the Egyptian, who lost to another Ugandan in 2022, saw the opening and unleashed his big left, to the right jaw. It stung like a viper's venom. And the referee Andrei Cheveliov just waved "fight over." 

Zebra climbed the ropes to celebrate with mostly his Ugandan fans who thronged the Yas Links Golf Course in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. 

"It felt like home with over 250 Ugandans who came to watch," Zebra said.

"I thank them because they didn't come to the Middle East for leisure, they came to work and sacrificing their time to come and watch me is amazing. I can't thank them enough." 

Zebra also thanked his British trainer Urfan Sheikh,  who, alongside Colin Mutyaba,  was in his corner, but most especially helped him make the weight at the proverbial 11th hour. 

"Coach Urfan booked his ticket last week when we told him about the fight. I came  here (Wednesday) when I was about a kilogramme over the weight limit and he really helped trim into limit. We have been working over the phone for the past one year, and it was really nice meeting him again since late 2022."

In the main fight, Morrocan Moussa Gholam knocked out South African Lunga Sitemela in Round Four in a night when only Zebra was the only winner from blue corner. 

"We are just gonna stay focused. We have everything in place, a good team and a good boxer," said Zebra who knocked out Tanzanian veteran Ramathan Tarimo in Round One on his debut in Kampala December 29. 

"We wanna be the face of African boxing in the Middle East; our dreams are big and wild; we gonna  conquer the  world."

RESULTS 

Moussa Gholam    W-TKO    Lunga Sitemela    
Bader Samreen    W-MD    Jeff Ofori    
Fahad Al Bloushi    W-TKO    Milner Marcano    
Mohammed Bekdash    W-UD    Shaban Hamadi Jongo    
Amer Kadhum Ghaneem    W-UD  Bervely Garcia
Gonzalez    
Hisham Osama Majed
Elsimreen    W-TKO    Rivo Kundimang    
Ibrahem Kandel    L-KO    Isaac Zebra Junior    
Fahad Alkhoori    W-TKO    Shahzada Sohail    
Anas Hafiane    W-UD    Batamazee Iddi    
Sulaiman Abbar    W-TKO    Salum Omari