By Abudul Nasser Ssemugabi
Uganda’s middleweight boxer David Ssemuju has this afternoon bowed out of the Olympics just on his debut after losing 5-0 to Algerian archrival Younes Nemouchi this afternoon in Tokyo.
Ssemuju, true to his aggressive self, stormed out of the blue corner ready to attack but Nemouchi, bigger and sharper, was ready to prove that the first victory against the Ugandan was not a fluke.
Nemouchi defeated Ssemuju in the semifinal of the African Olympic Qualifiers in Dakar, Senegal, but the Ugandan thought he deserved the victory.
This time, though Ssemuju had the will to attack, he lacked the sharpness to inflict enough danger on the opponent or avoid being hit by Nemouchi’s long hands.
The Algerian, who has fought seven times since he last faced Ssemuju in February 2020, seemed to enjoy the bout, a luxury not many of Ssemuju’s get due to his characteristic non-stop offensive game.
Meanwhile, Ssemuju had not fought again in the same period.
The five judges also had an easy job scoring it 30-27 for Nemouchi, who now faces the highly experienced Philippines’ Eumir Marcial, who got a bye to the next round.
Now the pressure to score Uganda’s first boxing win at the Olympics in 17 years rest on the shoulders of Captain Musa Shadir Bwogi, who takes on Georgia’s Eskerkhan Madiev tomorrow.
Nemouchi Vs Ssemujju Scorecard:
Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Red Blue Red Blue Red Blue Red Blue
Judge 1 10 9 10 9 10 9 30 27
Judge 2 10 9 10 9 10 9 30 27
Judge 3 10 9 10 9 10 9 30 27
Judge 4 10 9 10 9 10 9 30 27
Judge 5 10 9 10 9 10 9 30 27
Warning (Deducted Points)
Result 5 0
