▪️They agreed to collaborate on developing African boxing, with the truce detailed in a statement shared by Grace Lutete, Luyoyo’s Personal Assistant
June 9, 2026
IBA Africa Interim President General Ferdinand Luyoyo and African Boxing President Solomon Kargbo held a landmark meeting in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on June 8, 2026, to officially end their administrative differences.
They agreed to collaborate on developing African boxing, with the truce detailed in a statement shared by Grace Lutete, Luyoyo’s Personal Assistant.
Luyoyo is aligned to the international Boxing Association (IBA) and Kargbo’s body is under World Boxing (WB).
The meeting is a major development in African boxing which has hitherto been engulfed in power struggle leading to stagnation of the sport in Africa.
Tensions previously escalated when AB instructed its affiliates to boycott IBA Africa tournaments.
This directive was vehemently opposed by top African boxers, most notably, Namibia’s featherweight champion Tryagain Ndevelo who spoke out against the move. Ndevelo, the reigning African champion, criticized AB for preventing African boxers from competing, citing the critically low number of regional boxing events available to African boxer.
The truce aims to bridge the gap between the two rival boxing bodies on the continent and ensure that African boxers are no longer penalized by geopolitical disputes.
Here is the statement by General Luyoyo’s Personal Assistant Grace Lutete:
“On 8 June 2026, IBA-Africa Interim President Général Ferdinand Ilunga Luyoyo met with Africa Boxing President, Hon. Solomon Desmond Kargbo, in Kinshasa, DRC, to discuss cooperation.
“The meeting focused on exploring a potential framework for cooperation between African Boxing and IBA Africa. Both parties agreed to continue discussions through their respective leadership structures to identify areas of mutual interest and possible future collaboration.
The exchanges were constructive and conducted in a positive spirit, reflecting a shared interest in the growth and development of boxing in Africa.
Mrs. Grace Lutete Assistant of IBA-Africa President.”
With this truce, it’s now all systems go for the IBA Africa Zone 4 Championships scheduled for June 15-21 in Katima Mulilo, Namibia.
The President of Namibia Boxing Federation Jeremiah Ndjembo has requested participants to indicate their mode of travel to Namibia for planning and coordination purposes.
“Those travelling by road should specify the border post they intend to use when entering Namibia,” Ndjembo said in a statement.
He went on: “Those travelling by air are requested to provide the name of the airport at which they will be arriving. The information will assist the Organising Committee in facilitating logistics, arrivals and transportation arrangements.”
Countries expected to participate include Namibia, Eswatini, South Africa, Malawi, Botswana, Seychelles and defending champions Mozambique.
Zambia will not send a team to Namibia owing to unavailability of funds.
