Morocco retained the overall crown despite a strong challenge from DR Congo in the finals of the AFBC Men’s and Women’s African Boxing Championships on Saturday, 26 October 2024.

The Moroccans clinched the tournament title for the second consecutive year, winning 10 gold, eight silver, and three bronze medals. Hosts DR Congo secured second place overall with nine gold, five silver, and seven bronze medals, while Kenya moved up impressively from last year’s 17th place in Yaoundé to third, finishing with one gold, two silver, and five bronze medals. Senegal followed in fourth with one gold, two silver, and four bronze medals, while Cameroon placed fifth with one gold, two silver, and two bronze medals.

Morocco’s 10 gold medals were won by light-flyweight Yasmine Mouttaki, bantamweight Widad Bertal, middleweight Noura Mesmaoui, flyweight Issam Bensayar, lightweight Zouhair Fadel, welterweight Abdelhaq Nadir, super-heavyweight Younes Bouhdid, light-heavyweight Hasna Larti, light-middleweight Saida Lahmidi, and world heavyweight champion Khadija Mardi.

Entering the second day of the finals with four gold medals compared to Morocco’s eight, DR Congo boxers staged an impressive comeback, securing five additional golds. However, Senegal’s Karamba Kebe thwarted their attempt at a 10th gold, delivering an outstanding performance in the heavyweight division by defeating 2022 African Championships bronze medallist Landry Matete of DR Congo. This victory marked Senegal’s first gold in 26 years, since Mamadou Sow’s lightweight gold at the 1998 African Championships in Algiers, a historic win for Kebe, who is based in France.

DR Congo’s nine gold medals were claimed by minimumweight Benedicte Diyoka, welterweight Brigitte Mbabi, bantamweight Bakora Kolongo, light-heavyweight Nathan Mbeli, flyweight Nyembo Gisele, featherweight Ruth Yanfu, light-welterweight Merveille Mbalayi, middleweight David Tshama, and cruiserweight Peter Pita Kabeji, who achieved his third consecutive gold at the African Championships, matching Morocco’s Khadija Mardi, as both won gold in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Several boxers improved upon past performances, including DR Congo’s Nyembo Gisele, Brigitte Mbabi, David Tshama, Kenya’s light-middleweight Boniface Mogunde, and Burundi’s Nestor Nduwarugira, whom Mogunde defeated in the final. Mogunde rose to his first gold after a bronze finish in 2022 and coming up short in Yaoundé. This time, he refined his strategy, drawing upon Cuban boxing techniques to frustrate his opponent and avoid close-quarters exchanges, a style that ultimately neutralized Ruwarugira.

‘I’m very disappointed that I couldn’t land the punches I wanted. Mogunde kept his distance and moved away whenever I tried to engage,’ said Nduwarugira, who became only the second Burundian boxer to reach the African Championships final, following Ornella Havyarimana in 2022.

‘I stuck to my strategy to win gold for my country, and we emerged as the top country in East Africa,’ Mogunde added, visibly pleased.

Nyembo Gisele of DR Congo upgraded her silver from Yaoundé to a gold by defeating Morocco’s Rabbab Cheddar in the final. Brigitte Mbabi also claimed her first gold after securing silver in 2022 and bronze in Yaoundé, while Tshama reclaimed his middleweight title by outpointing Morocco’s Yassine El Ouarz. Cameroon’s Martial Wouang improved from silver in Yaoundé to light-flyweight gold in Kinshasa.

South Africa’s John Masamba Paul, Morocco’s Abdelhaq Nadir, and Namibia’s Tryagain Ndevelo each celebrated their first golds at the African Championships. Boxing in his father’s homeland for the first time, Masamba was overcome with emotion as he embraced his cousins at the Stade des Martyrs following his decisive win over Morocco’s Mohammed Alloua.

‘Seeing my cousins in the arena was overwhelming. I couldn’t hold back the tears,’ said Masamba, who earlier reunited with family members in Kinshasa, a meeting he found deeply inspiring.

‘I met them for only the second time in my life, and the warmth was incredible,’ he added, reflecting on how meaningful the reunion was. Masamba dominated his final bout against Alloua, effectively using body punches and headshots, and later mentioned that Alloua employed some unconventional tactics. ‘He head-butted me three times and even tried to twist my arm, but that’s boxing, and I actually found it interesting.’

Nadir moved up to welterweight from light-welterweight, winning his first gold medal in this tournament alongside his 2019 African Games gold.

Namibian southpaw Ndevelo was in top shape throughout the tournament, culminating in a tactical victory over Zambia’s African Games silver medallist Mwengo Mwale. This marked Ndevelo’s debut in the African Championships and also served as sweet revenge for a loss to Mwale in the 2022 Zone Four Championships in Maputo.

‘It’s a dream come true to win gold on my first try,’ Ndevelo said, adding, ‘He wanted to draw me into close range, but I kept my distance to score clean points. It’s my time to shine,’ he claimed.

Ndevelo’s gold, along with a silver from light-heavyweight Gebhard Ipinge and a bronze by flyweight Tomas Elfas, helped Namibia finish seventh overall.

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Media contacts:

Elena Sobol, Head of Communications and PR, International Boxing Association: elena.sobol@iba.sport

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