Veteran Kadongo Kamu singer Lord Fred Sebata has revealed that his life before music included a serious stint in boxing, claiming his punches were measured at an impressive 35kg.
The legendary Ugandan musician recently looked back on his younger years, recalling a time when boxing was part of his life long before he became known for his music.
According to Sebata, boxers in his day underwent exercises designed to determine the force behind their punches. He said his own result placed him among the heavier punchers.
“They used to weigh us and get to know the weight of the punch someone throws. Mine weighed 35kg, and I was not a joking subject,” Sebata said.
His recollection did not stop at the boxing ring. Sebata explained that the physical toughness he developed as a young boxer sometimes became useful during his music career.
Whenever performances descended into chaos, he said he would personally step in to deal with individuals who disrupted shows where he and his colleagues were performing.
“Back then, I would always manhandle any individual who tried to cause chaos at events and shows where we travelled to perform. I would bring the situation back to calm,” he recalled.
Sebata described himself as more than an ordinary boxer, stressing that he competed as a heavyweight.
“In my youth, I was a boxer, and not the common boxers. I was a heavyweight boxer,” Sebata said during an appearance on Sanyuka TV.
He also recalled a particularly direct way of dealing with troublemakers. According to the singer, he would grab disruptive individuals by their T-shirt collars, after which some would plead with him before being escorted out of the venue.
For Sebata, the story offers a glimpse into a lesser-known chapter of the career of one of Uganda’s veteran Kadongo Kamu voices — a period when his physical strength was apparently as much a part of his reputation as his music.
The singer’s memories also show how his life before and during his music career occasionally intersected, with his boxing experience becoming an unexpected tool whenever performances became disorderly.