Emmy Abel Ebong is the only Ugandan boxer with a chance to win gold at the IBA Africa Boxing Championship in Kinshasa, DR Congo
having stormed the finals after defeating Cape Verde’s Emmanuel Goncalves Monterro 4-1 in the heavyweight semi-final Wednesday night.
The lanky Ebong used his height and reach advantage to shoot Monterro’s face with jabs and straight right hands and kept him at bay throughout the first stanza.
Ebong should have been even more dominant, only that he was never intentional with body shots, although Monterro’s trunk was always unguarded.
In the second round, the Cape Verdean southpaw showed more urgency, fighting a little closer, which tempted Ebong to wrap his arms around him in defence. But Monterro’s lack of quality punches throughout cost him the match.
Instead, it was Ebong’s shots that occasionally threatened to pluck of Monterro’s head. And towards the end of the third round, his straight hand into the face forced a referee’s count against Monterro even though it did not look that lethal.
Precisely, Ebong won by majority decision, to book a place in the gold medal match, a test seven Ugandans had failed in Kinshasa
‘The tournament has been really hard. These are the best boxers representing their respective countries on the continent. So, it’s not easy at all,’ Ebong told the press post-match. ‘I really thank Friends of Boxing for making this happen. This is a life-changing opportunity for boxers in Uganda… and I am proud to be representing my country.
Moments later, Ebong’s compatriot Sarah Laker Katongole could also squeeze into the women’s lightweight final, but she lost a unanimous decision to DR Congo’s Zalia Munga, who won silver when Kinshasa hosted the 2024 Africa edition. Ugandans may rue Laker’s defeat, but Munga and her fans would have felt the same had they been declared losers.
Officially, Ugandans are guaranteed four medals: three bronze courtesy of middleweight Ronald Nsamba, light heavyweight Ronald Wandera, Laker, and at least a silver, which Ebong wants to turn into gold on Saturday.
To his teammates: ‘Whoever has stopped in this tournament, keep your head up. We shall try again next time. And for Uganda, I’m going to fight really hard to bring this gold medal home,’ Ebong promised.
But his match against DR Congo’s Peter Mpita Kabeji is a potential acid test against a man with immense experience who has won this title twice: in Maputo 2022 and Yaounde 2023, and at the African Games in Accra last year. Like Ebong, Kabeji started at the semi-final stage, demolishing Russia-based Cameroonian Tobbie Luis Ongolo.