▪️The 23 medals include four golds by Uganda’s Ayub Kalule, Kenya’s Steve Muchoki, Nigeria’s Davidson Andeh and Morocco’s Mohammed Rabii
▪️Kenya and Nigeria are the best placed African countries on overall position, finishing joint fourth in 1978.
African boxers have done remarkably well in Men’s World Boxing Championships since the first edition held in Havana, Cuba, in 1974.
Despite facing challenges such as access to modern training facilities, lack of constant exposure, frequent changes in the international scoring system and economic hardships in most African countries, the continent has far won a total of 23 medals: four gold, four silver and 15 bronze medals.
Looking ahead to the 23rd edition of Men’s Boxing Worlds in Dubai from December 2-13, the African boxers are bubbling with confidence hoping to end the eight-year medal drought in the men’s boxing world championships and increase their total medals tally.
Uganda’s gifted southpaw Ayub Kalule, now aging gracefully in Kampala, stamped his name in the annals of boxing history becoming Africa’s first ever gold medallist in the inaugural World Championships in Havana, Cuba, in 1974.
Kalule, a boxer-puncher, put up a masterclass show to outpoint Bulgaria’s Vladimir Kolev in the finals at light-welterweight.
The quietly spoken Kalule has every reason to thank his buddy Vicky Byarugaba who accepted to move down to lightweight to pave way for Kalule in the light-welterweight division because he was having problems making the lightweight class.
Kenya’s celebrated Steve “Destimo” Muchoki, also punched his way to the finals but lost on points to Cuba’s Jorge Hernandez in the light-flyweight division.
Three bronzes by Ghana’s light-welterweight Amon Kotey, Uganda’s light-middleweight Joseph Nsubuga and Nigeria’s heavyweight Fatain Ayinla saw Africa finishing with a total of five medals, the highest collection so far by the African boxers.
Then followed Michoki and Andeh’s gold medals in the 1978 World Championships in Belgrade..
Nigeria’s welterweight Roland Omuruyi made it eight medals for Africa with a bronze in the 1982 World Championships in Munich, Germany.
Africa went through a barren spell of 37 years without winning a gold medal until 2015 when Morocco’s African champion then Mohammed Rabii won gold in Doha, outpointing Kazakhstan’s Daniyar Yeleussinov to win Africa’s fourth gold medal.
Rabii remains the last African boxer to win a gold medal in the World Championships. This should inspire the current generation of boxers to add another gold to end the 10-year dry spell.
African boxers have so far won medals in 10 of the 22 editions of the World Championships. This was in 1974, 1978, 1982, 1989,1991, 1993, 1995, 2005, 2013 and 2017..They missed out on medals 12 times in 1986, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2019, 2021 and 2023.
The 23 Alfrican medallists so far:
Gold: Ayub Kalule (Uganda), Steve Muchoki (Kenya), Davidson Andeh (Nigeria) and Mohammed Rabii (Morocco).
Silver: Steve Muchoki (Kenya), Nigeria’s Jacklord Jacobs, Nourreddine Medjehoud and Mohammed Flisi both of Algeria.
Bronze: light-welterweight Amon Kotey (Ghana), light-middleweight Joseph Nsubuga (Uganda), heavyweight Fatai Ayinla (Nigeria), welterweight Roland Omuruyi (Nigeria), light-middleweight Salem Karim Kabbary (Egypt), flyweight Hassan Mustafa (Egypt 2 bronzes), featherweight Houcine Soltani (Algeria), light-welterweight Moses James (Nigeria), flyweight, flyweight Hassan Mustafa (Egypt), middleweight Mohammed Misbahi (Morocco), light-flyweight Hamid Berhill (Morocco), middleweight Mohammed Hikal (Egypt), flyweight Mohammed Flisi (Algeria), middleweight Hosam Abdin (Egypt), and super-heavyweight Arsene Fosso (Cameroon)
