National team boxer Owen Ashraf Kibira “the matrix” has changed his fighting weight category ahead of the upcoming 2024 National Boxing open championship that starts on Monday 22nd, April at the NCS –Lugogo.
Kibira has been fighting in the welterweight category where he has had a bloody rivalry with another national team star Matovu Ukasha for the last two years in the Champions League.
According to Juma Nsubugaa, Kibira’s coach at Kyengera Boxing Club, the move is mainly calculative in the interest of the boxer’s future. “As the technical team, we foresaw something and had to be calculative,” he revealed during the JabJab show –the exclusive boxing show every Saturday night at NBS SPORT TV.
Meanwhile, another formidable boxer Richard Kasujja moved to welterweight from light middleweight following his relegation to national open after last season’s Champions League. “I want to let my fans know that I have changed from light middle to welter. I think I was struggling to make the previous weight,” he explained.
The official weigh-in, medical check and draws were done on Saturday in Lugogo ahead of the Monday action. Over 400 boxers took part in the exercise with Judith Aujo, the Uganda Boxing Federation medical personnel confirming that boxers with symptoms of red eyes were blocked from participation. More clubs from up country have registered boxers to challenge holders Lukanga Boxing Club, who are still the favourites.
The two top boxers from each weight category qualify for the Champions League from where the national team is selected.
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