▪️The host has built an insurmountable lead, rendering Saturday’s remaining bouts a mere formality for the tournament crown
▪️Cape Verde’s David Pina denied gold through questionable officiating by Mauritian referee playing the role of “sixth judge”
▪️Zambians Albert Ngulube and Gerald Kabinda scoop two gold medals
▪️Rady Gramane grabs third gold in Africa Elite Championships
October 31, 2026
STADE DES MARTYRS, KINSHASA — In an absolute dominant Day One finals on home soil, a rampant DR Congo boxing team mathematically secured the Africa Elite Championships title on October 30, 2026, delivering an unprecedented 12-gold-medal sweep on the opening day of the continental finals.
The hosts remained completely unstoppable, sending 12 boxers into the ring—eight women and four men—and watching every single one of them emerge victorious.
The historic golden avalanche completely shattered the previous continental record set by Morocco, who clinched 10 gold medals at the 2024 edition in Kinshasa.
DR Congo’s 12 gold medallists: minimumweight Benedicte Diyoka, bantamweight Boisambu Bayo, featherweight Ruth Yamfu, lightweight Munga Zalia, light-welterweight Mbalayi Mbamba, welterweight Bampala Kanyinda, light-heavyweight Malewu Tekasala, heavyweight Tshimwanga Sulamite, minimumweight Bofenda Bafala, bantamweight Kolongo Bakora, light-welterweight Njibu Njibu Beni and cruiserweight Kitsoukou Yannick.
Zambian boxers, lightweight Albert Ngulube and welterweight Gerald Kabinda grabbed two gold medals, Mozambique (middleweight Rady Gramane) and Cameroon (women’s flyweight Nicole Moudjongue) one gold medal each. Southpaw Gramane outpointed Cape Verde’s Ivanusa Moreira to win her third gold in the African Championships having won in 2022 and 2023.
With 12 gold medals already in the bag, DR Congo has built an insurmountable lead, rendering Saturday’s remaining bouts a mere formality for the tournament crown. No other nation can catch up with them. Even with six more Congolese fighters still scheduled to step into the ring on Day Two, the party in Kinshasa has officially begun.
However, an otherwise flawless and historic day for the hosts was marred by a highly controversial officiating scandal in the bantamweight division.
While 11 of the evening’s gold medals were won with undisputed merit, the bout between Cape Verde’s Olympic bronze medalist David Pina and DR Congo’s Kolongo Bakora left a bitter taste in the arena. Pina comfortably controlled and won the opening two rounds, putting on a technical clinic that frustrated Kalongo.
The match turned into a farce in the third round when the Mauritian referee Jean Paul issued two baffling, entirely uncalled-for counts against Pina making it three counts in the last round. The blatant officiating errors sparked immediate disgust from Pina and his corner, casting a shameful shadow over what was meant to be a celebration of elite African boxing.
The third count for Pina meant he lost on stoppage since once a referee gives a boxer three counts in one round he/she is supposed to stop the fight. Usually during their courses, the referees are taught to avoid unnecessary counts especially in close fights, and are often reminded they should not be the “sixth judge.”
Despite the bantamweight controversy, the night belonged to the history-makers of DR Congo, who now look ahead to Saturday’s final sessions not as contenders, but as the undisputed, newly crowned kings and queens of African boxing.
Among the highlights in Saturday’s finals include: female flyweight DR Congo’s Nyembo Gisele vs Cameroon’s Reine Laure Ngoune, featherweight Zambia’s Mwengo Mwale vs Ghana’s Amadu Mohamed, light-heavyweight Cameroon’s Brandone Ngon A Ngon vs Congo’s Odzoua Reche and heavyweight DR Congo’s Pita Kabeji vs Uganda’s Ebong Emmy Abel.
