Magulu, who is also the proprietor of amateur side, Zzana boxing club, told The Observer that it is a big step forward that he has chosen to take, to enable more Ugandan boxers make a good livelihood out of their trade.
He said: “We have started by contracting Ssemujju, Bwogi and Swalik Kisitu. And the intention is to get them at least four professional fights this year. That will create a bigger earning for them. But at the same time, with more fights, they will be registered on BOXREC, a platform on which all top professional boxers appear, and are tracked in terms of number of fights, among other things.”
In turn, Bwogi, 25, who has been the Bombers (National team) captain, said that having been an amateur boxer for long, he feels it is the right time to make the step up. He explained that being an amateur boxer made it difficult to ascertain his next pay cheque. Yet, now that he is under Twelve Sports Rounds, there are already assurances about his overall welfare.
Without concerns about where he will get the money to access the gym or his next meal, Bwogi told The Observer that he can now focus on developing his skill as a boxer in order to scale the heights of professional boxing.
A few months ago, Ssemujju, Bwogi and female boxer Catherine Nanziri, all of whom represented Uganda in the Olympics last year, were being coerced by the Uganda Boxing Federation (UBF) president Moses Muhangi, to sign up for his boxing promotion company, Top Boy.
In fact, it was only after agreeing to those terms that they would compete in the Uganda Boxing Champions League (UBCL), a brainchild of Muhangi. The trio refused to give in to UBF’s pressure, and as a result, have not competed in the tournament.
In light of that, Bwogi explained that the contract they were being given, did not spell out how much they would be paid, which made it a no-go for him and his colleagues. He added that their image rights would also belong to UBF, according to the contract Muhangi had put before them.
However, by signing for Twelve Sports Rounds, Bwogi feels the boxers’ interests are well covered.
“The deal is proper and fine; we all agreed on the dos and don’ts,” Bwogi told us in an interview last week.
He added: “The decision to turn professional was based on my experience and expertise I have now in the sport. I have a dream to achieve big things and the timing is perfect after competiting at the Olympics.”
At the same time, Magulu revealed that his decision to get involved in professional boxing, has been triggered by the frustration Zzana boxing club has encountered. The UBF suspended Zzana from competing in its events, which are national. This meant that for many of the emerging talents within the Zzana ranks, opportunities to compete had been restricted.
