Stage queens share spoils on boxing debut

At 11:05 Saturday night, four beach bodies in skimpy red attires, stormed the stage—sorry, the ring—with some dirty dance, before ushering their boss Fauzia Nakiboneka into the red corner. The Bentiboys Africa, of the Wana Wankya fame, joined the ensemble.

Then Princess Laura Ndagire, with a crown and glittering throw-on, majestically entered the blue corner, Bobi Wine’s Badman blaring, the Big Boys dancing like they got no bones in their bodies. It felt like a dance competition.   

But after all the twerking, the crowds were eager to see whether The Ebonies’ theatre queens also had some ring work.

By 8pm, the turn-up for Week 13 of the Uganda Boxing Champions League looked average, with many empty patches in the Lugogo Indoor Arena. But an hour later, the yellow seats in the stands vanished behind people’s backs as the vibe grew. Then Team Fuzzy and Team Laura came in towards 9:30, and the VIP ringside left only two reserved tables unfilled.

Earlier, Nina Rose flaunted her long orange legs in a brief black dress and long heels on the canvas before and after her friend Reagan Lubega, aka Canelo, won a special contest 4-1. The DJ played Billboard Kipande. The fans wanted some more. But she was gone.

The four giant screens above the well-lit ring seemed a luxury. Meshed barricades and military police tightened security, ensuring pockets of crowd tension don’t descend into an emergency. But why the guns inside the arena?

Anyway, nothing ruined the epic night of shocks and thrillers. And the very first corporate boxing bout between women.

At 11:18pm, Fauzia dropped her silverish robe, revealing her greenish top, trunks, and blue boots. She wore a black headgear. Laura chose a black and blue headgear above her tight white trunks and black and white top. And white boots. Both looked mean. As if they were serious. They are actresses, remember.

They boxed, for nearly a minute. The bell went, Fauzia showing a slight edge with a steadier stance and stronger hands. She does it better in round two, as Laura seeks refuge on the ropes. In the third round, Laura jabs and throws some combinations, Fauzia fights back, the crowd shouts, and so does the final bell. Laura wiggles the waist, a little, smiling back to her corner. She’s done it. They’ve done it. JK Kazoora watches ringside, amazed that none of these women surrendered like he did to Shakib a month ago in the first corporate bout.

Laura-Fauzia ended in a draw. Dr Bbosa hugged both fighters. He would have been absent after losing a newborn earlier in the week. But his presence implies his belief in merging sports and entertainment audiences.

“It was tough,” Laura told Daily Monitor. The men manning the corners—Dickson Muhiirwe in red and Ashraf Nsubuga in blue—were equally impressed with how the stage queens braved this tough game—from the gym to the ring.

There’s a famous boxing fanatic who dislikes ‘unserious’ stuff but he won’t matter as long as the numbers keep coming, from different spheres of life, and keep cheering. These are things that impress sponsors. The greater goal is in clear view.