▪️Kinshasa’s Stade Des Martyrs is about to turn into a absolute pressure cooker in the eagerly awaited rematch between DR Congo’s Nyembo Gisele vs Cameroon’s Laure Ngoune
September 1, 2026
When the 2026 Africa Elite Men’s and Women’s Boxing Championships take over the Stade Des Martyrs Gym from October 18-31, the women’s flyweight division will host the ultimate grudge match: a high-octane, maximum-drama rematch between reigning African champion Nyembo Gisele and Cameroon’s tactical powerhouse, Laure Reine Ngoune.
Their rivalry was born in fire at the 2023 Africa Elite Championships finals in Yaoundé.
That night, the two warriors traded leather in a brutal, toe-to-toe war. Ngoune walked away with the gold medal and a cool $15,000 IBA prize money. Gisele was left with a bitter silver, $10,000, and a burning sense of injustice.
“They robbed me in Cameroon. I beat her—I’m the one who should have the gold,” a defiant Gisele has declared.
“I’m now ready for Ngoune at home to show her I’m the best flyweight in Africa.”
Since that heartbreak, Gisele has been an absolute wrecking ball. Riding a wave of pure momentum, the DR Congo pressure fighter captured flyweight gold at the 2024 Africa Championships in Kinshasa, conquered the historic first-ever Africa pro-amateur card promoted by IBA Africa President Ferdinand Ilunga Luyoyo, and stopped Uganda’s Angel Katushabe in the third round to seize the 2025 Africa Zone 3 title in Nairobi.
Now, she returns to her fortress. Backed by the deafening, boxing-crazy crowds at the Stade des Martyrs Gym, Gisele holds the ultimate home-court advantage.
But Ngoune is not coming to surrender her legacy. While she has kept a low profile and skipped the Zone 3 tournament due to personal commitments, the Cameroonian champion has been quietly sharpening her tools. Fresh off an intensive, grueling training stint in Russia, Ngoune is tactically re-engineered and prepared to silence the Kinshasa crowd.
This is more than a fight for gold and prize money; it is a battle for ultimate respect, a clash of contrasting styles, and a glowing testament to the explosive growth of women’s boxing across the African continent. Expect nothing less than absolute fireworks when the first bell rings. This is a must-watch showdown.
