Samuel Lukanga, the founder of Lukanga Boxing Club, was honoured with a lifetime achievement award by the organisers of the Real Stars monthly sports awards in recognition of his decades-long contribution to grassroots boxing development in Uganda.
Lukanga, widely regarded as the father figure of Ugandan boxing, established the Najjanankumbi-based club with a vision to nurture young talent and promote discipline through sport.
His club has since grown to include 12 affiliate clubs, though it recently parted ways with the Kyengera Boxing Club following a disagreement with its founder and former Lukanga coach, Juma Nsubuga.
“This recognition really motivates me,” Lukanga said after receiving the award. “We used to run along Entebbe road and the youths were attracted. In 1992, I took only six boxers to the national competition in Lugogo.”
Since then, Lukanga Boxing Club has gone on to dominate national championships across junior, youth, and elite levels. It has also produced a number of professional boxers and coaches who have gone on to establish their own clubs, expanding the sport’s footprint in Uganda.
“Many former boxers at the club have established their own boxing clubs while others have succeeded as professional boxers,” Lukanga noted.
Beyond success in the ring, Lukanga emphasized discipline as a core value for all athletes. “I think boxers are the most disciplined sports athletes. No boxer fights from outside the ring and that is how they have succeeded and avoided crimes,” he said.
Last year, Lukanga celebrated 30 years of service to Ugandan boxing, with his club sweeping all the recent national championships organised by the Uganda Boxing Federation—a testament to his enduring influence and commitment to the sport.
