The adrenalin rush is on among the 149 boxers from 25 countries taking part in the Africa Elite Men and Women Boxing Championships which gets underway today, October 19, at the Stade des Martyrs Hall in DR Congo’s capital city, Kinshasa.
The mighty Moroccans are the defending champions with DR Congo the runners-up in last year’s tournament in Yaounde. Fighting at home, the Congolese boxers have a head start with the boxing-crazy fans giving them all the support they need.
Hearts are pounding with a mixture of nervousness, anxiety and excitement as boxers look ahead to one week of huffing and puffing, each one of them aiming for a podium finish in what promises to be an exciting tournament. They’ll be fighting for personal pride, prestige and patriotism for their respective countries.
The anxiety for those making their international debut infront of a roaring crowd is normally higher and requires patience and calmness from the coaches at the corner on guiding their boxer to avoid panicking.
Let the battle begin. For all the boxers who are here in Kinshasa there’s no shortcut. You can’t run away. You’ll have to climb through the ropes when it’s your turn to trade leather in the squared circle. Swallow the punch as you look for an opening to outsmart your opponent. Your wit, skill, natural intelligence, craftiness, speed, stamina and some power are the most essential ingredients you need to carry the day in Africa’s most glamorous boxing tournament being held in DR Congo for the first time.
DR Congo is Africa’s music capital. The chief host, General Ferdinand Ilunga Luyoyo who’s the President of the Congolese Boxing Federation has therefore promised visitors lots of throbbing rhumba music to keep them entertained and on the edge of their seats.
There will be 10 bouts in today’s opening card, and among some of the notable names in action include South Africa’s Mandela Cup silver medallist John Paul Masamba, Namibia’s Tryagain Ndevelo, Senegal’s Alphonse Mendy and his compariot Diarga Balde, Morocco’s Hamza Essaadi, Cameroon’s Martial Wouang and DR Congo’s surprise package in last year’s Yaounde event, Malenga Zengala.
To kick off the show at 6pm local time will be three minimumweight quarter-final bouts, starting with homeboy
Zola Kulembekwa against Gabon’s Mbadinga Ndjemba followed by Morocco’s African Games bronze medallist Hamza Essaadi vs Kenyan rookie Silas Onyango making his international debut. Silver medallist in Yaounde, Martial Wouang will be the third one in the ring against Lucas Silvia Manengula from Mozambique.
Namibia’s captain and one of the featherweight favourites Tryagain Ndevelo is up against Congo’s Massala Bilanda.
For all his exposure, Ndevelo has yet to take part in the Africa Championships. This will be his first time, and he has vowed to return to Windhoek with the gold medal.
“A warning to my opponents, prepare for a thorough beating,” says the skillful southpaw Ndevelo who made his senior international debut at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.
Malenga Zengala joined the national team in the last minute but made his presence felt at the Yaounde Africa Championships in 2023 by winning gold in the welterweight class.
He has now moved down to light-welterweight which has a total of 10 boxers, the highest number in all the weight categories. Despite the absence of the defending champion Algeria’s Jugurtha Ait Bekka and Mauritius’ silver medallist Richarno Colin, there’s still a lot in store in this weight class with John Paul Masamba, Malenga Zengala and Zambia’s Emmanuel Katema among the favourites for gold.
South Africa’s Masamba, whose father is from DR Congo, feels at home fighting in Kinshasa and this his moment of pride. Today he meets Gabon’s Sebastien Allela in a pre-quarter bout. Victory for Masamba will see him move to the quarters against African Games silver medallist Katema who received a bye to the last eight..
Today’s programme kicks off with the opening ceremony at 4pm and the action from 6pm. See you there.
Credit: AFBC Communications
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