Ricky Man defeated Grenade Official in their corporate match at the UMA Exhibition Hall on Boxing Day. PHOTO/ JOHN BATANUDE
“No weapon that is formed against you shall succeed, Isaiah 54:17,” is tattooed in uppercase on Rickman Manrick’s left bicep. Surely, not even a grenade could explode on him when he faced fellow artist Deus Ndugwa, aka Grenade Official, in a boxing match at UMA Main Exhibition Hall in Lugogo on Boxing Day.
In September 2023, Grenade and Rickman made news following a bar brawl allegedly linked to their intimacy with socialite Sheilah Gashumba. Rickman, who was Gashumba’s boyfriend then, was admitted to hospital with a torn upper lip and for some time Grenade went into hiding to avoid arrest.
Gashumba and Rickman are no more. But Rickman recently said on radio that he has never forgiven Grenade. Six years ago, bar fights cost us one of the most gifted artists in Mowzey Radio. And a year after their brawl at La Terazza Bar, Kisementi, Rickman and Grenade agreed to settle their beef in an organised environment with a referee, judges, a ring doctor and hundreds watching live in the arena and wherever.
In oversize ring boots, Rickman walked to the ring, without any swag—like a boxer without a following. But Grenade came in with a bigger team as the DJ played Mpulira Bibyo, his 2019 song, and spent minutes outside the blue corner, attracting more attention.
Both wore red trunks with white stripes on the sides. Rickman’s headgear was red, Grenade’s blue. Their lightweight and toned bodies—flat tummies, no love handles—promised a good fight. And they delivered just that.
Most may have bet on Grenade: he was the aggressor at the bar, hit Rickman in the face during the fight launch at Paradise Gym, was seen training seriously at world heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois’ gym in Wembley, UK in November and makes the most noise.
But the shy Rickman must have been working silently with Coach Warren Nsubuga to exact his revenge. And from the first bell, he rapidly punched Grenade’s face and upper body, much to the excitement of his fans and neutrals. “Bino bya ddala,” they shouted, acknowledging “this is serious boxing,” and rivalry between guys who fought over a celebrity girlfriend.
This was unlike Shakib vs Kazoora or Laura Ndagire vs Fauzia Nakiboneka, the other celebrity matches, which weren’t driven by rivalry.
In the second round, Grenade threw the kitchen sink, cornering and hitting Rickman everywhere, including behind the thighs and the referee separated them twice in one minute. Rickman won the third round with calculated counter punches, whenever Grenade attacked. Even on replays on the screens above the ring, the fans shouted every time a punch landed.
And Rickman, original name Derrick Ddungu, won 4-1 to become the first corporate boxing champion at the 2024 Uganda Boxing Champions League finale.
“It was easy, I prepared so much for the fight and loaded all the power in my right hand,” Rickman told Sqoop, mobbed by his admirers and content creators—young men and women of all shapes and sizes, snapping every moment with their smartphones.
Grenade slid out of the ring, his legs facing the judges table, seemingly disappointed. But while he gave us a good show, very few—probably even among his fans and the one judge out of five—felt that he deserved better. “We want a rematch,” his cornerman Dickson Muhiirwe told Sqoop.
