Segawa eyes NABF Featherweight title against unbeaten Palacios

Friday, January 30

North American Boxing Federation Featherweight Title.

S. Segawa (UGA) v R. Palacious (MEX), Maryland, USA.

Uganda’s Sulaiman “The Ruler” Segawa is confident of adding the North American Boxing Federation (NABF) featherweight title to his growing trophy cabinet when he faces Mexico’s unbeaten Renne Osvaldo Palacios this Friday, January 30.

Segawa, currently ranked fourth by the World Boxing Council (WBC), will square off with Palacios at the iconic Maryland Live Casino, just a few miles from his residential base in Maryland, USA. Both fighters are primed for what promises to be an explosive ten-round thriller.

The bout serves as the co-main event to the WBC-FERCABOX Super Lightweight title clash between Mexico’s Bryan Flores and the Dominican Republic’s Starling Castillo.

The WBC-FERCABOX is a regional title covering nine countries, including Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Mexico, and parts of the United States.

Segawa, a former WBC Silver featherweight world champion, boasts an impressive résumé. The southpaw, once a member of Uganda’s national team “The Bombers,” clinched the WBC-USA featherweight title in 2020 and defended it twice in 2023. He also captured the WBC Continental and the North American Boxing Association (NABA) Super Feather title, cementing his reputation as one of Uganda’s finest exports.

Having already collected multiple belts, Segawa believes he is well prepared to add another. “My target is to start 2026 on a high and sign it out in style. I’m ready for Palacios, and kindly tell my fans back home that we are going to swallow this Mexican alive,” Segawa told Vision Sport.

Palacios (18-0-1, 10 KOs) enters the fight unbeaten, while Segawa (18-5-1, 7 KOs) faces his fifth Mexican opponent. His previous four, Bryan Acosta, Misael Lopez, Ernesto Guerrero, and Hector Lopez Jr, all failed to overcome his relentless style.

“One thing I have mastered is fighting Mexicans and Latinos. I have done my homework well. I have trained to full capacity, and trust me, I’m ready to rumble,” Segawa declared.

Segawa’s journey has not been without setbacks. In 2024, he suffered a controversial loss to American Bruce ‘Shu Shu’ Carrington while defending his WBC Silver featherweight title. He then took a one-year sabbatical before returning in September 2025 with an emphatic knockout of Mexico’s Brayan Acosta in the seventh round, proof that he still has plenty left in the tank.

As fight night approaches, the big question remains: can the 31-year-old Ugandan rise to the occasion once again and halt the ambitions of the 24-year-old unbeaten Mexican challenger?