University of Pain: new conveyer belt for women boxing

Teddy Nakimuli! You remember that name? Well, if you do not, she was the first female boxer from Uganda to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games.

That was last year in Birmingham, where she won a bronze medal, after reaching the semi-finals. It is a proud tag that the ‘University of Pain’ (UOP), a boxing club where Nakimuli hails from, carries today. Yet, even after achieving that honourable reputation, the UOP are continuing to showcase how formidable they are at developing top female boxers.

Presently, in the Uganda Boxing Federation (UBF) Champions League, UOP’s female pugilists have proved impressive. They include Grace Nankinga (flyweight elite), Nakimuli (bantamweight elite), Jemimah Mukisa (feather-weight youth) and Phiona Kansiime (featherweight elite).

Last year, apart from Kansiime, who was second in her category in the champions league, the others all won the season. However, because of injury, Nakimuli is missing the show-down on December 26, when the champions league concludes. But Nankinga is expected to be one of the major highlights of the extravaganza that will separate girls from women.

Inevitably, Lukanga boxing club (LBC) remain a formidable challenger to UOP. The UOP emerged from LBC back in 2018, after the parties involved realized that they had so many boxers in just the one club. This would limit the chances of some boxers competing at national level to showcase their talents.

Fragmenting became unavoidable, according to Edirisa Kawere, the manager of UOP.

“We had so many inactive boxers because of the stiff competition in Lukanga,” Kawere said.

In fact, in order to sustain the boxers, UOP relocated to Ndeeba, where they could find affordable space for a gym. And it has paid off. National team boxers like David Ssemujju, who won a silver medal at the 2019 All Africa Games in Morocco, has gone through UOP nurturing. Now he is a professional boxer like another, who is an alumni of UOP, now based in the USA, Sula Ssegawa.

Yet, now, UOP appears to be building a niche of producing top female pugilists, and setting a national standard, seeing the good number of breakout stars they have on their books. A few months ago, when Uganda participated at the Africa Boxing Championships in Cameroon, UOP’s Nankinga, fighting in the 52 kilograms category, brought home a bronze medal and a cash prize of $2,500 (Shs 9m).

Nankinga is the one boxer who defeated Uganda’s first Olympian (2020 Olympics) female boxer, Catherine Nanziri back in 2019 in the na- national championships. Her mate, Nakimuli said that this was no accident.

She explained: “We have a very good coach, Addes Sero. He gives us the time and, so; we keep in good shape.”

Notably, Kawere attributes UOP’s success to the support they get from boxing friends and well-wishers, who provide the equipment.