Brigitte Mbabi suffered her first defeat in pro boxing when she lost on points to Russia’s Azalia Amineva in a six-round welterweight fight in IBA.Pro3 contest held on Friday, April 25, at the Sports Training Centre of the Republic of Bashkirtostan Wrestling Palace in Russia.
The DR Congo boxer however put up a good show that placed him in a vantage position to appear in more events of the newly launched pro boxing league by the International Boxing Association (IBA).
The southpaw Amineva, Youth World champion and two times European champion, showed early signs of dominance from the first round in which she had the better of the exchanges connecting several clean shots at Mbabi who failed to find the range against the agile Amineva.
It was Mbabi’s first defeat in professional boxing having previously won three fights all of them inside the distance. It’s however unclear whether Mbabi’s defeat will appear in Boxrec, a website that publishes pro boxers’ ring records.
Mbabi turned pro in 2024 after winning her second gold medal at the Africa Championships at home in Kinshasa, DR Congo. She won her first gold in the inaugural Nelson Mandela African Boxing Cup in Durban, South Africa, in early 2024.
Prior to the Durban tournament, Mbabi won a bronze medal in the African Games in Accra, Ghana, in March. In all she has won four bronze, three silver and two gold medals for DRC.
Mbabi was inspired by her father, Buffalo Emmanuel Blaise Mwika, to take up boxing in 2016 at Ali Boxing Club in Lubumbashi. Her dad was also a boxer during his youth.
*Artur Subkhankulov (RUS) vs. Ibrahim Balla (AUS)*
Subkhankulov won by majority decision, claiming the IBA Pro Intercontinental and WBA Oceania lightweight titles.
Jose Miguel Borrego (MEX) vs. Ryan Martin (USA)
Borrego won by decision, becoming the IBA Pro American 67kg Champion.
The IBA.Pro 3 event in Ufa featured a mix of ranking matches and title bouts, with a focus on showcasing promising young talent alongside established fighters.
