John "The Beast" Mugabi (born 2nd of september 1961) is a retired Ugandan boxer. In 1980, he won the silver medal in the welterweight category at the Summer Olympics in Moscow (Russia). His silver was the only medal for Uganda at the Games. Thereafter, Mugabi took his Silver Medal and his 1-0 (1 KO) professional record to England. He was part of an exceptionally talented early 1980s' junior middleweight and middleweight division era that included Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Wilfred Benitez, Davey Moore, Roberto Duran - a time which many boxing fans rank as one of the most exciting ever in those weight classes.

Professional career

John Mugabi started as a professional on December 5, 1980 by knocking out Oemer Karadenis in round one in Kampala. Soon after that win, Mugabi moved to London where he became acquainted with boxing promoter Mickey Duff, an expert in boxer marketing who landed Mugabi various fights in England and built his reputation there. Mugabi won eight fights in Europe. Searching for more formidable foes, John moved to Florida where he became a favorite of American TV networks with his sensational knockouts of contenders such as Curtis Ramsey, Gary Guiden, former world champion Eddie Gazo, Curtis Parker, Frank The Animal Fletcher, Nino Gonzalez and Earl Hargrove through a display of tenacity and ferociousness. 'The Beast' as he would become known (for his ferocious attacks and untamable style - bashing his prey with overhand rights and wild left hooks) was able to fluctuate his weight between middleweight and junior middleweight. Some people lose effectiveness by changing weight classes, but not Mugabi. He was able to knockout every opponent he faced to that point of his career. Mugabi was truly becoming a force to be reckoned with.

Mugabi's first victory of note came on May 2, 1982, when he took on veteran Curtis Ramsey. It was Mugabi's 11th bout and he took care of the American in two rounds in Atlantic City, New Jersey. 1983 was a busy calendar year for the Beast. In that year he took on Gary Guiden, who had just come off of a Championship fight against Davey Moore; Mugabi stopped him in three. Many started speculating about Mugabi's role in the future of the Junior Middleweight and Middleweight divisions. The fact Mugabi easily made the weight at both divisions made him more intriguing than most prospects. Nicaraguan, Eddie Gazo, a former WBA Junior Middleweight Champion provided Mugabi with his first real test. Gazo went rounds with Mugabi, but 'The Beast' ended things the way he always did. Mugabi was simply stronger and faster tactically overwhelming the busier Gazo. In the same year, Mugabi took on Curtis Parker a former Pennsylvania Golden Gloves amateur champion. The 'meeting' with Curtis Parker was on national television. Parker was an established fighter, but Mugabi's destruction of Parker was savage. It was the first time that Parker had lost a bout by knockout.

In February 1984 Mugabi's ability to take adversity was tested by James 'Hard Rock' Green. Mugabi slowly took control of the fight until it was stopped in the 10th round, with Mugabi declared the winner by technical knockout. The bout between 'The Beast' and Frank 'The Animal' Fletcher marked a quiet maturity that marked Mugabi's transformation from being what had been dubbed a 'banger' with raw power to a refined tactical boxer. The Beast hurt his prey, gently testing with his jabs and then in the 4th round a couple of round house punches and a haymaker travelling all the way from his waist caught Fletcher asleep, the fight ended with Fletcher's body between the ropes.

On his way to becoming the number one contender for the middleweight title of each of the three major sanctioning bodies (WBA, WBC, and IBF), Mugabi ran roughshod over the division and finished each of his opponents inside the distance. Mugabi's ferocity was captuured by Phil Berger. Writing in the New York Times in 1986, Berger, commenting on Mugabi's preparation for the Hagler fight noted the intensity of preparation that left his sparring partners in a 'woebegone condition' and further that some did not last long enough to draw their second paycheck and left Mugabi's training camp looking like extras from 'Night of the Living Dead'.

Because of his ability to fight both at junior middleweight and middleweight, fans began to talk of the possibility of him challenging either world light middleweight champion Hearns or world middleweight champion Hagler.