Uganda’s Isaac Zebra Ssenyange Jr. follows his boxing legend father’s pathway

The youngest boxer of the Games, Uganda’s Isaac Zebra Ssenyange Jr. follows his boxing legend father’s pathway.

One of the legendary captains of Uganda’s national team, called the Bombers, was Isaac Zebra Ssenyange. He had 195 wins and 19 losses during his fifteen years long boxing career and led the Bombers at the 2011 All Africa Games. The super heavyweight boxer turned to professional career in 2012 and won several big fights. He also owned the Zebra Boxing Club in Uganda and supported the work of the local federation until he died in 2020.

His son, the 18-year-old Isaac Ssenyange Jr. made his debut at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in July 2022 and made his team proud by showcasing great technical skills. He started competing in January that year at the Uganda Boxing Champions League and despite losing his first contest to John Owino, he defeated older rivals and gained the right to compete at the Commonwealth Games.

His first ever international competition was the Mount Kilimanjaro International Boxing Tournament in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania in May 2022 where he defeated two opponents and lost to a local veteran.

Isaac Zebra Ssenyange Jr. faced Lesotho’s Arena Pakela in the first preliminary round of the light middleweight (71kg) and opened the bout with good chances against his opponent. Ssenyange used his height against the experienced boxer from Lesotho and the Ugandan southpaw landed several nice punches however Pakela won the contest by split decision. The 18-year-old Ugandan dedicated his fight to his father’s memory and showed true commitment to his first major elite championships.