Kassim Ouma
Encyclopedia
Kassim Ouma is a Uganda
n boxer. He is currently the NABA
middleweight champion.
and consequently did not see his family for five years. Ouma is the 7th of 13 children, which include 7 brothers and 5 sisters. Only 4 brothers are still alive.
in Atlanta, Georgia
, but did not attend due to financial difficulties.
, Ouma decided to stay to undertake a career as a professional boxer to support his family in Uganda. Ouma later won the International Boxing Federation
(IBF) Junior Middleweight world title.
Ouma is a former champion and top-level contender in the Light Middleweight
division. He has quality wins against Jason Papillion, Juan Carlos Candelo
, and Verno Phillips
, his second win against whom earned him the IBF
Light Middleweight title. Ouma successfully defended his championship with a twelve round unanimous decision against Kofi Jantuah of Ghana
. Ouma later lost this title in a unanimous decision defeat against Roman Karmazin
, a bout in which Ouma was put to the canvas twice. It was only the second defeat of his career.
Since the Karmazin bout, Ouma has remained active in the Light Middleweight division, earning three wins, two by knockout. On May 6, 2006 Ouma defeated Marco Antonio Rubio
by split decision despite being knocked down in the first round.
Ouma returned to the ring with an impressive win over undefeated fellow southpaw Sechew Powell
August 5th, 2006. Powell is from Brooklyn, NY and the fight took place at the Theatre of Madison Square Garden
. The official scorecards were 90-100, 93-97, and 94-96 all in favor of Kassim Ouma by unanimous decision.
Ouma lost the middleweight title shot against Jermain Taylor
on Dec. 9, 2006. Taylor's power and well-timed clenches kept Ouma from throwing as many punches as he usually does. Despite absorbing a large number of extremely hard shots, Ouma did not go down. The fight went the full 12 rounds, and Ouma lost by unanimous decision. The judges scored the fight 118-110, 117-111 and 115-113 for Taylor who was at home in Little Rock, Arkansas
.
After the Taylor fight Ouma lost back to back close decisions to Saul Roman in October 2007 and Cornelius Bundrage in March 2008.
On September 25, 2010, Ouma stopped Joey Gilbert
in the 6th round of their 10-round bout for the vacant NABA
middleweight title at the Grand Sierra Resort
in Reno, Nevada.
A documentary entitled "Kassim the Dream" was made in 2008. It was an official selection at several film festivals.
After years of Ugandan media speculation, US-based Ugandan boxer Kassim ‘The Dream’ Ouma finally walked down the aisle on August 23, 2008, with long-time girlfriend Jalia Nandawula, a practicing nurse and pharmaceutical proprietor in Texas. The boxer’s wedding came at a time when he and ex-lover, singer Juliana Kanyomozi
, were having a rift. (In a highly publicized wedding-to-be, Ouma had promised to make Kanyomozi, also currently performing in the US, his wife in 2007.)
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
n boxer. He is currently the NABA
Naba
Naba may refer to:*Al Naba'ah, an areas of the emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates*An-Naba, the 78th sura of the Qur'an*Mogho Naba, King of the Mossi, an ethnic group in Burkina Faso...
middleweight champion.
Early life
Born into poverty, at the age of six he was kidnapped and forced to join the National Resistance ArmyNational Resistance Army
The National Resistance Army , the military wing of the National Resistance Movement , was a rebel army that waged a guerrilla war, commonly referred to as the Luwero War or "the war in the bush", against the government of Milton Obote, and later that of Tito Okello.NRA was supported by Muammar...
and consequently did not see his family for five years. Ouma is the 7th of 13 children, which include 7 brothers and 5 sisters. Only 4 brothers are still alive.
Amateur career
Upon leaving the army, Ouma started boxing and amassed an amateur record of 62 wins and 3 losses. He made the Ugandan national boxing team and was selected to fight at the 1996 Summer Olympics1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, but did not attend due to financial difficulties.
Professional career
On a Ugandan national amateur team trip to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Ouma decided to stay to undertake a career as a professional boxer to support his family in Uganda. Ouma later won the International Boxing Federation
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...
(IBF) Junior Middleweight world title.
Ouma is a former champion and top-level contender in the Light Middleweight
Light middleweight
Light Middleweight , is a weight division in professional boxing, above 147 pounds and up to 154 pounds ....
division. He has quality wins against Jason Papillion, Juan Carlos Candelo
Juan Carlos Candelo
Juan Carlos García is a Colombian boxer in the Light Middleweight division and a Former NABF Light Middleweight champion.-External links:...
, and Verno Phillips
Verno Phillips
Verno Jeremias Phillips , is a professional boxer in the Light Middleweight division.- Career :Phillips turned pro in 1988 and captured the Vacant WBO Light Middleweight Title in 1993 with a win over Lupe Aquino...
, his second win against whom earned him the IBF
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...
Light Middleweight title. Ouma successfully defended his championship with a twelve round unanimous decision against Kofi Jantuah of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
. Ouma later lost this title in a unanimous decision defeat against Roman Karmazin
Roman Karmazin
Roman Alexandrovich Karmazin is the former IBF Light Middleweight champion of the world. He is a Russian boxer who has defeated Keith Holmes and Kassim Ouma. He suffered his first loss in 2002, a twelve-round decision against Javier Castillejo of Spain in Castiliejo's hometown.Karmazin currently...
, a bout in which Ouma was put to the canvas twice. It was only the second defeat of his career.
Since the Karmazin bout, Ouma has remained active in the Light Middleweight division, earning three wins, two by knockout. On May 6, 2006 Ouma defeated Marco Antonio Rubio
Marco Antonio Rubio
Marco Antonio Rubio is a Mexican middleweight professional boxer. Currently resides in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Acuña, Mexico across from Del Rio, Texas.-Fight for Middleweight Title:...
by split decision despite being knocked down in the first round.
Ouma returned to the ring with an impressive win over undefeated fellow southpaw Sechew Powell
Sechew Powell
Sechew Powell is an American boxer.-Amateur career:Nicknamed "Iron Horse", Powell was an amateur standout and was the 2000 National Golden Gloves Light Middleweight Champion and 2001 United States Amateur Light middleweight champion.-Professional career:Powell turned pro in 2002 and was undefeated...
August 5th, 2006. Powell is from Brooklyn, NY and the fight took place at the Theatre of Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
. The official scorecards were 90-100, 93-97, and 94-96 all in favor of Kassim Ouma by unanimous decision.
Ouma lost the middleweight title shot against Jermain Taylor
Jermain Taylor
Jermain Taylor is an American professional boxer and former undisputed middleweight champion. He made his professional boxing debut in 2001 and won his first 25 bouts, which included victories over former champions Raúl Márquez and William Joppy...
on Dec. 9, 2006. Taylor's power and well-timed clenches kept Ouma from throwing as many punches as he usually does. Despite absorbing a large number of extremely hard shots, Ouma did not go down. The fight went the full 12 rounds, and Ouma lost by unanimous decision. The judges scored the fight 118-110, 117-111 and 115-113 for Taylor who was at home in Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
.
After the Taylor fight Ouma lost back to back close decisions to Saul Roman in October 2007 and Cornelius Bundrage in March 2008.
On September 25, 2010, Ouma stopped Joey Gilbert
Joey Gilbert
Joseph Salvatore Gilbert is a retired professional boxer, currently a criminal defense & personal injury lawyer, and sports agent.-Biography:...
in the 6th round of their 10-round bout for the vacant NABA
Naba
Naba may refer to:*Al Naba'ah, an areas of the emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates*An-Naba, the 78th sura of the Qur'an*Mogho Naba, King of the Mossi, an ethnic group in Burkina Faso...
middleweight title at the Grand Sierra Resort
Grand Sierra Resort
The Grand Sierra Resort & Casino is a resort hotel located approximately three miles east of Downtown Reno, Nevada. The hotel has 2,001 guest rooms and suites, 10 restaurants, including two by celebrity chef Charlie Palmer, and a casino with of space...
in Reno, Nevada.
Outside the Ring
Ironically, while in Uganda he was never shot despite being in the army. However, after having moved to America he was shot twice in Florida in December 2002. According to Kassim, his father was beaten to death by the Ugandan army in retaliation for his leaving the country.A documentary entitled "Kassim the Dream" was made in 2008. It was an official selection at several film festivals.
After years of Ugandan media speculation, US-based Ugandan boxer Kassim ‘The Dream’ Ouma finally walked down the aisle on August 23, 2008, with long-time girlfriend Jalia Nandawula, a practicing nurse and pharmaceutical proprietor in Texas. The boxer’s wedding came at a time when he and ex-lover, singer Juliana Kanyomozi
Juliana Kanyomozi
Juliana Kanyomozi, popularly known by the mononym Juliana, is a Ugandan female musician, entertainer and actress.-Background:She was born in Uganda on 27 November 1981. She attended Namasagali College in Kamuli District, for her high school education....
, were having a rift. (In a highly publicized wedding-to-be, Ouma had promised to make Kanyomozi, also currently performing in the US, his wife in 2007.)