Ugandan kickboxing champion Patricia Apolot, a.k.a.”Black Pearl.”
Sonny Side of Sports contributor Mugume Davis Rwakaringi recently visited unbeaten Ugandan kickboxing champion Patricia Apolot at her gym in the capital, Kampala.
Mugume describes the 27-year-old Apolot as dark, beautiful and athletic.
Nicknamed “Black Pearl,” Apolot (16-0, 7 KO’s) captured the World Kickboxing Federation lightweight title in 2015.
Her coach, Richardson “Amigo” Kigozi, says Apolot is a celebrity now and she could inspire other women in Uganda, Africa and around the world to try the male-dominated sport of kickboxing.
Listen to Kigozi’s comments and Mugume’s feature report here:
It’s possible Patricia Apolot could be defending her world title against other African kickboxers.
Patricia Apolot (L) kicks in a bout.
A check of the World Kickboxing Federation lightweight rankings finds Egyptians Asmaa Mahmoud and Fathia Ibrahim and the Nigerian Kehinde Obareh all in the top-10.
Patricia Apolot says for kickboxing to grow and attract more African women, governments will need to invest in the sport. Without it, as we heard in Mugume’s report, “Apolot herself is no more.”
Apolot’s next bout is scheduled for December ninth when she fights Serbia’s Ivana Bogdanovic in Soroti, Uganda.