Uganda’s Shakib Cham Lutaaya is proving he’s not one to lick his wounds in silence. Just days after suffering a dramatic knockout loss in Kampala, the socialite has now shifted his focus across the border — daring Kenyan celebrities to step into the boxing ring with him.
On August 30, Shakib headlined The Kampala Rumble at the MTN Arena, a celebrity boxing match that pitted him against Ugandan musician Rickman Manrick. The fight was billed as a spectacle more than a sporting classic, but the crowd came hungry for drama — and they got it.
Shakib started strong, aggressively pushing Rickman onto the ropes in the opening round. His fans cheered wildly as he landed a string of punches that seemed to put him in control of the fight. But boxing has a way of flipping scripts, and the second round changed everything.
Rickman, finding his rhythm, caught Shakib with a sharp counter-punch that floored him instantly. The referee wasted no time stopping the fight, handing Rickman a knockout victory that sent the arena into frenzy.
The night’s most viral image wasn’t just Shakib sprawled on the canvas — it was his wife, Ugandan socialite and businesswoman Zari Hassan, watching in anxiety from ringside. Cameras caught her visibly distressed, and clips of her reaction lit up social media within minutes.
Appearing on the Three Truths No Lie podcast soon after the fight, Shakib issued a call that has now spilled into Kenyan headlines.“Kenyan promoters out there,” he said, “if you know that there is anybody that I can challenge in a boxing match, let’s make it happen.”
Suggested names included Eric Omondi, Willy Paul, Khaligraph Jones and Arrow Bwoy.
Singer Arrow Bwoy responded with glee, making it clear he was more than ready.“It’s about time. Mboga imejileta,” he declared.Arrow Bwoy didn’t stop at bravado. He threw in a cheeky jab at Shakib’s wife, saying:“To Shakib, don’t bring Zari along — she might faint, and then we’d have a double tragedy.”
The idea of a Nairobi vs Kampala bout, hyped on both sides of the border, has fans salivating at the drama it could deliver. It’s not hard to imagine the buildup: training montages, diss tracks, and pre-fight trash talk that blurs the line between sports and entertainment.
While professional boxers may cringe at the idea of celebrities treating the ring as a stage, fans do like storylines, rivalries, and drama that keeps them glued, whether or not the punches land cleanly.