Finally Zambia, Algeria and Mozambique pugilists get long awaited 2022 Maputo prize money
Patrick Chinyemba and Margret Tembo to use the IBA $10,000 prize money they’ve each received to complete the construction of their houses in Lusaka. Mozambican celebrated boxer Rady Gramane invests her money on shares
South Africa, Morocco and Senegal boxers unhappy with the $3000 prize money for gold medallists in Kinshasa
The long awaited 2022 Maputo prize money for Zambia, Mozambique and Algerian boxers has eventually been paid.
Also in the process is the 2024 Kinshasa prize money and purses for the inaugural AFBC pro boxing show in Tunisia.
For the last two years, 28 boxers from Zambia, Mozambique and Algeria have painfully waited for their unpaid prize money they won at the 2022 AFBC Men’s and Women’s African Boxing Championships in Maputo, Mozambique.Zambian boxers Margret Tembo (left) and Felistus Nkandu smiling all the way to the bank
The dethroned former AFBC President Bertrand Mendouga of Cameroon claimed he used the boxers’ money to renovate the AFBC headquarters in Yaounde, Cameroon, ahead of its official opening by IBA President Umar Kremlev in early 2023.
Mendouga said he used the money hoping to reimburse it once the IBA send the African body their quota for development yet there’s nowhere IBA President Umar Kremlev had officially committed himself on paper he would fund the continental federations.
Surprisingly, Mendouga spent the money without the authority of AFBC’s
Board of Directors.
That a total of $182, 500 for the 28 medallists from Zambia, Algeria and Mozambique was spent on renovating AFBC HQ in Yaounde is still debatable.
Mendouga was eventually removed through a vote of no confidence by the AFBC’s Board of Directors during the 2023 Africa Elite Championships in Yaounde.
When another deposed AFBC President, Ethiopia’s Eyassu Berhanu, came to power in 2023, he said among his priorities was the immediate payment of Maputo prize money. He didn’t fulfill his promise, and was finally sent home with his entire executive committee by IBA which appointed the Normalisation Committee led by Eswatini’s Pearl Dlamini to clean up the mountain of garbage left behind by the two failed leaders.
Using her charm and managerial acumen, Pearl has succeeded to convince the IBA to pay the Maputo prize money, a landmark achievement for the first ever female president of an African boxing confederation.
A hefty pat on the back to IBA’s strongman, Secretary-General and CEO Chris Roberts OBE, and his team for acceding to Pearl’s request to clear the pending Maputo prize money.
Commenting on the ongoing payment process, Pearl said: ” Following failures of past two administrations, the AFBC Normalisation Committee has succeeded to pay the outstanding prize money dating back to 2022. The final stage covering Kinshasa is underway. This marks a major milestone in rebuilding trust and fairness across the sport in AFBC .”
While boxers from Zambia and Maputo have been paid, the Algerians have yet to receive their prize money probably owing to a delay in the bank transactions.
Among the Mozambican and Zambian boxers who spoke to boxersworld.co.ke, they all hailed the IBA and the Normalisation Committee for their commitment to uplift the living standards of the African boxers through the prize money. Maputo gold medallists received $10,000, silver $5000 and bronze $2,500.
Laughing all the way to the bank, African Games flyweight champion and Paris Olympics quarter finalist, Patrick “Baddo” Chinyemba, and 2022 Africa minimumweight champion Margret Tembo are overwhelmed by receiving their prize money.
“This is very good for us receiving our money after a long wait, I can now complete my three-bedroomed house in Lusaka, thanks a million to IBA for changing our lives through the prize money” says Chinyemba who’s also a gold medallist at the 2022 Africa Championships.
Tembo said she still can’t believe it they’ve finally been paid after a two-year wait.
“I just want to say thank you to IBA for what they have has done about our money because we have been waiting for too long now,” said Tembo, an employee of the Zambia Defence Forces.
Tembo went on:”I didn’t even expect that we will get the money. Now I can complete the construction of my house in Lusaka and I’m saying thank you to the president for each and every one who has been pushing for our prize money, and my fellow boxers they were so happy they didn’t expect also that they can be paid. The money is a big inspiration for us to improve on our performance in the ring.”
Equally elated is the 2022 Africa lightweight champion Felistus Nkandu.
“I just want to say thank you to IBA and Pearl Dlamini for paying us our money after empty promises from past leaders, Pearl we love you, within a short period leading the Normalisation Committee you have made sure we’re paid our money,” said Nkandu. “We can help our families and it’s also encouraging to the new boxers to see that they can make money in boxing.”
Mozambican two-time Africa middleweight champion Rady Gramane has every reason to thank the IBA.
She first won $25,000 for bronze medallists at the 2022 World Championships in Turkey. Gramane has invested wisely.
“IBA came to help many hard-working boxers who give their all for the sport to improve their lives, I am one of them. The prize money has indeed changed my life,” said Gramane.
“With the value of Türkiye prize money I won in 2022 I invested in shares on the stock exchange that are yielding a lot of money along with the value of other championships.I’m living well because of IBA.”
The southpaw Gramane said, like other boxers, was happy they have finally received the Maputo prize money, and is okay with IBA’s method of paying boxers directly in their bank accounts.
“The payment method to me is the best, except for the fact that the Maputo amount arrived late, perhaps because it was the first African boxing championship with a prize prize money,” said Gramane. “I commend Pearl Dlamini the chairperson of the Normalisation Committee for her efforts to ensure the boxers received what is rightfully theirs. I feel happy because it was prize money that I thought was lost due to several events in the previous leadership.”
Gramane was one of the seven medallists in the Mozambican team that finished second overall in Maputo with five gold and two bronze medallists behind winners Algeria who won five gold, five silver and six bronzes and Zambia were third with four gold and three bronze medals.
Some boxers are however unhappy with the $3000 for gold medallists in the 2024 Africa Elite Championships in Kinshasa, DR Congo.
The boxers who have expressed their dissatisfaction are Morocco’s world champion in Serbia Widad Bertal, African champions, South Africa’s John Paul Masamba and Senegal’s Karamba Kebe both of whom are now professional boxers in Japan and France respectively. They all thought they would receive the increased prizes money of $15,000 for gold medallists paid at the 2023 Africa Elite Championships in Yaounde.
“As an African champ $3,800 won’t cover what’s really needed,” said Masamba now based in Osaka.
“I thought I was going to get the full $10,000 or $15,000. I had a lot in mind on how I was going to use it since I saw it in the boxing news saying we will get equal prize money like the other African Championships,” said Masamba now unbeaten in two fights.
“I feel sad because I planned how I’ll use and spend it by sharing a bit with my family and will be able to have a proper diet plan. I’m however grateful to IBA for the prize money.”
Masamba, Bertal and Kebe were some of the gold medallists in Kinshasa.
“A gold medal is $15,000 I only received $3000,” said Kebe.
Contacted, IBA’s Secretary-General & CEO Chris Roberts OBE was economical with his words on the boxers’ payment at the 2024 African Elite Championships.
“We are in the middle of paying Kinshasa boxers, all will get what they’re owed, bank details missing as usual,” Roberts told boxersworld.co.ke
