MUGABI HONORE PAR LA WBC

John "The Beast" Mugabi gets another championship belt   

John Mugabi’s house is sparsely furnished. For such a distinguished professional athlete, there is a distinct lack of a trophy cabinet. Mugabi said he dispensed with all of his boxing memorabilia after he finished his boxing career almost ten years ago. “When it’s over, it’s over.  It’s in the past”, he says.. 

Now the matter-of-fact man formerly known as “The Beast” has one special piece of boxing memorabilia to remind him of his days laying out men for a living: a much-prized green belt from the World Boxing Council.
Mugabi was presented with the belt by the President of the Australian National Boxing Federation Alan Moore on 01 June in a special ceremony in Brisbane, Australia.

The original belt he won in blasting out Frenchman Rene Jacquot in one round in 1989 had been stolen years previously when a boxing promoter offered to frame his new belt for him. He never saw it again.

Mugabi’s friends in Brisbane arranged the new belt. Francis Ssebbale, a friend from Brisbane’s Ugandan community, emailed the WBC website, asking how a former champion could obtain a new belt. President Jose Sulaiman replied personally, and asked the identity of the boxer. When told it was Mugabi, Sulaiman immediately agreed to send another belt to the former champion, and extended his warmest wishes and offers for further assistance.

Bernie McFadden trained Mugabi when he arrived in Australia for the second phase of his career. At the time, he weighed over 90 kgs. McFadden recalled that he contacted Mickey Duff, Mugabi’s old trainer in the UK, who had some words of advice.

“Mickey said I’d be lucky to get John in the ring again, he said he’s eating too well.”
Within six months the Beast had trimmed down to his fighting weight, necessitating another call to Duff, who told McFadden his scales must be wrong.

Thomas Hearns called and proposed a fight card at The Forum in Los Angeles in January 1997. Hearns and Mugabi would feature in separate bouts, Tommy against Ed Dalton and John against Kenny Lopez. Should they both win as expected, they would finally fight each other. Hearns and Mugabi were on track to meet more than ten years earlier, but Hearns had asked Mugabi to step aside so that he could fight Hagler first. Unfortunately, the bout never eventuated this time either.

“John was a nice bloke, but he loved partying and he found it hard to say no to the generosity of others. He was easily led astray,” said McFadden.

Mugabi has a plan for his new belt. In 2010 he will return to Uganda with his championship spoils. He’ll get himself into fighting shape first, and fight a few exhibitions. Mugabi thinks there’ll be good money in it, given he’s practically a deity in Uganda, everyone knows him. Even the President’s brother.

This time, he’ll be hanging on to his belt.   “It’s nice to be recognised,” he said.  “I think I’ll put this one in the bank.” source_EastSideBoxing