By Thomas Gerbasi - On the verge of becoming one of only a handful of Ugandan fighters to win a major world boxing title, Sharif Bogere isn’t worried about following the exploits of Cornelius Boza-Edwards, John Mugabi, Ayub Kalule, or Kassim Ouma. His vision is a lot more focused than that, and it all starts with the man in the mirror.
“This is Sharif, this is me, those guys were them,?said the 23-0 (15 KOs) Bogere, who fights Richard Abril for the WBA lightweight title this Saturday in his adopted hometown of Las Vegas. “Boxing is part of me; God gave me this gift. I’m gonna go there, put my gift on the line, and be me. If God gives me this win, I’ll be in that line of the legends back home.?br />
Proud but not ****y, quick with a laugh but very serious at the same time, Bogere may only be 24 in actual years, but when you come from where he came from, you can probably add another ten years to that in wisdom and maturity. Boxers like Bogere are raised hard, and a look at the fights of any of the aforementioned Ugandan standouts will show you that athletes from the African nation come from tough stock.
So it was really no surprise that he left everything he knew behind at the age of 19 to chase a dream of a world title in the United States.
“When I first came I just turned 19 and I was still a little boy developing,?said Bogere. “I missed my family and my people, but I said ‘I’m a grown man and I have to take care of my family.?I have a son, I have to take care of him and take care of a lot of people that helped me come up and be the way I am right now.?[Click Here To Read More]
“This is Sharif, this is me, those guys were them,?said the 23-0 (15 KOs) Bogere, who fights Richard Abril for the WBA lightweight title this Saturday in his adopted hometown of Las Vegas. “Boxing is part of me; God gave me this gift. I’m gonna go there, put my gift on the line, and be me. If God gives me this win, I’ll be in that line of the legends back home.?br />
Proud but not ****y, quick with a laugh but very serious at the same time, Bogere may only be 24 in actual years, but when you come from where he came from, you can probably add another ten years to that in wisdom and maturity. Boxers like Bogere are raised hard, and a look at the fights of any of the aforementioned Ugandan standouts will show you that athletes from the African nation come from tough stock.
So it was really no surprise that he left everything he knew behind at the age of 19 to chase a dream of a world title in the United States.
“When I first came I just turned 19 and I was still a little boy developing,?said Bogere. “I missed my family and my people, but I said ‘I’m a grown man and I have to take care of my family.?I have a son, I have to take care of him and take care of a lot of people that helped me come up and be the way I am right now.?[Click Here To Read More]
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