▪️Unstoppable Mwanza dominates Russian opponent as Africa wins one gold and three bronze medals
September 12, 2026
At just 15 years old, a fierce sparring session nearly landed Zambia’s flyweight boxing prodigy Daniel Mwanza in legal trouble after his opponent’s mother called the police.
During a routine training session at the Exodus Academy, Mwanza dominated his opponent so severely that his concerned mother held coach Ariel Banda responsible.
While Banda was officially summoned by the police as a matter of procedure, law enforcement ultimately cleared him of any wrongdoing.
“He beat his opponent badly in sparring at Exodus Academy, and the mother reported me to the police,” Banda recalled in an interview with
Fortunately, authorities recognized that the intensity was simply part of the sport.
“The police told the mother it wasn’t intentional,” Banda explained. “By then, he was already officially recognized as a junior boxer by the International Boxing Association (IBA).”
That early raw power has now paid off on the world stage. Today, September 12, 2026, Mwanza completed his dramatic rise by defeating Russia’s Nikita Lopatiev in the finals of an international youth tournament in Chita, Russia, officially crowning him the new Eurasian Daurian Cup flyweight champion
He becomes the second African boxer to win a gold medal in the Eurasian Daurian Cup International Youth Boxing Tournament after South Africa’s Ayabonga Meko in 2025.
Zambia won one gold and a bronze by bantamweight Clement Zulu, Angola middleweight bronze from Kelson Neto with Comoros’ light-welterweight Abdourahim Mohammed winning bronze.
Mwanza, who started boxing in 2021 at Exodus Academy, is over the moon.
“I feel so excited winning a gold medal, it’s not easy to come all the way from Zambia and beat two Russians at home,” Mwanza said after his deserved victory over Russian Nikita Lopatiev.
Mwanza made his international debut in the 2025 Region Five Games in Namibia beating two opponents but he was not awarded gold. Zambia’s Technical Director Ariel Banda explains why.
“He beat two opponents but organisers said the rules have changed, boxers cannot be given medals if they were not five per weight category or over,” Banda told boxersworld.co.ke in an interview.
“We considered him a gold medallist including Mervis Tembo and Jennifer Zulu.”
Commenting on Mwanza’s achievement, Banda said:” Daniel has made Zambia Boxing Federation proud for defeating two Russians at their home to win a gold medal, thanks to the efforts of coach Dennis Zimba himself a silver medallist at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.”
Banda went on: “Special thanks to Zambia Boxing Federation led by our able President Mr Boniface Sokoni and the rest of the executive for steering this organization with the right vision.”
Banda is full of praise for Mwanza who he said will continue rising higher.
Yet at the initial stages Mwanza’s father was against his son taking up boxing.
“His father was very much against boxing,” said Banda, adding:”Later he came to apologise and accepted he was wrong because he thought he would be indisciplined but he realized his son had instead become more disciplined through boxing.”
Mwanza’s achievement in his first international overseas assignment is a major statement on what lies ahead for this promising Zambian boxer. We wish him all the best in his relentless march to boxing stardom.
