▪️”Boxers need hope and more tournaments, not boycotts. If they truly care about African boxing, they would strengthen tournaments, not sabotage them,” says Ndevelo
May 19, 2026
Namibia’s African featherweight champion, Tryagain “The Issue” Ndevelo, has disagreed with WB-affiliated African Boxing’s directive barring their affiliates from taking part in IBA Africa tournaments.
And while the African Boxing body leaders caution their affiliates on taking part in IBA Africa tournaments, boxersworld.co.ke has reliably been informed World Boxing – now under celebrated boxer Gennadiy Golovkin – has never issued any official directive stopping its affiliates from taking part in IBA tournaments.
“This is absolutely not within WBs constitution, it’s just Africans foolishly eating themselves up directly,” says an authoritative source.
“Boxers need hope and more tournaments, not boycotts. If they truly care about African boxing, they would strengthen tournaments, not sabotage them,” says Ndevelo.
In a letter doing rounds on social media, the Secretary-General of African Boxing, Cyprien Tamo, cautions their affiliates from hosting or taking part in IBA tournaments. Here’s the letter which, surprisingly, is not in the organisation’s letterhead.
Dear African Boxing Leaders
We use this opportunity to strongly call on all National Federations affiliated with World Boxing to exercise utmost caution regarding the hosting of, or participation in, any IBA-organized event in any capacity. Such actions may constitute a violation of the African Boxing Disciplinary and Ethics Code, World Boxing policies on National Federation alignment, and IOC recommendations.
All member federations are therefore urged to take this matter with the utmost seriousness and ensure full compliance with the governing regulations and directives.
Cyprien TAMO
Secretary General African Boxing
Contacted for confirmation on phone, African Boxing President Solomon Kargbo, did not respond. At the time of publication he was still mum.
Reacting to this directive, Ndevelo, a gold medalist in the featherweight division at the 2024 African Elite Men’s and Women’s Championships in Kinshasa, DR Congo, said he was totally against the directive because it’s the boxers who will suffer not IBA, suggesting the proponents of this boycott should quit if they don’t have the interests of boxers at heart.
“Boycotts only make sense when they protect athletes. But these pessimists are doing the opposite — they’re trying to limit opportunities, not expand them,” said Ndevelo in a telephone interview with boxersworld.co.ke from his base in Namibia.
He went on: “African boxing is still developing; every international ring is a classroom, a showcase, and a stepping‑stone. Cutting boxers off from IBA tournaments doesn’t punish IBA — it punishes the African boxers who needs exposure, ranking points, and experience. If they truly cared about African boxing, they would strengthen tournaments, not sabotage them.”
Ndevelo, speaking for the silent majority, said African boxers are fed up of these turf wars between some African boxing leaders who seem to have their own selfish agenda not focused on benefiting the boxers.
“African boxing has suffered enough from internal sabotage. If an official’s ego is bigger than their commitment to athletes, they should step aside and let genuine leaders with a passion for boxing take charge.
“Boxers want fights, rankings, medals, exposure and lucrative opportunities.”
He moves on: “No boxer trains at 5 am to boycott tournaments. No boxer bleeds in sparring to stay home. No boxer dreams of politics — they dream of podiums.
Ndevelo said Southern Africa boxers were all looking forward to IBA Africa Zone 4 Championships to be hosted by Namibia.
“Zone 4 is not just another tournament — it’s:
– a ranking opportunity
– a scouting opportunity
– a development opportunity
– a unifying platform for Southern Africa.”
The Namibian top pugilist and a host of other leading African boxers are wondering why the newly-created African Boxing body – still at its crawling stage – is not thinking big by focusing on introducing prize money tournaments to benefit the boxers rather than being petty, using boxers as pawns to settle scores which boxers are less interested in because they want genuine change in African boxing.
“What we want now from our leaders is motivation and bright ideas giving us boxers hope but telling us not to participate in IBA tournaments when we know that we have no constant competition in Africa is very demoralizing to boxers,” said Ndevelo, adding: “The fact that we have two bodies one under IBA and another one under WB is positive to me with each one of them coming up with their own tournaments to benefit boxers but not again engaging in unknown individual personal issues at our expense. As boxers we want our freedom to participate in any quality event with prize money or no prize money, we’re fed up and suffered long enough as a result of tussles which don’t benefit African boxers.”
A long-serving official in African boxing has revealed that one of the AB officials has gone full throttle to sabotage IBA Africa Zone 3 & 4 boxing tournaments to be held in Gabon and Namibia respectively.
“It’s just unbelievable how we Africans are sabotaging our own tournaments despite the fact we have a shortage of regular boxing events in Africa,” he exclusively told boxersworld.co.ke in a telephone interview, preferring to remain anonymous owing to the sensitivity of the issue and the position he holds.
“This official has contacted NOCs and the federations of Gabon and Namibia to spread malicious propaganda on IBA Africa. I’m told IBA Africa have no problem with the existence of African Boxing organisation, and are ready to work together to develop boxing in the continent.”
I ask him what’s the motive behind the AB official’s intention to scuttle the zonal tournaments.
“You see these people of AB have no money and can’t host any serious boxing event for now, so they feel embarrassed IBA Africa will be in the limelight holding two important tournaments while they’re not doing anything, in essence their aim is to see IBA Africa dormant like them, that’s how I look at it otherwise it’s a big shame for Africans to behave in such unprofessional manner fighting each other.”
That’s the sad state of Africa boxing which has for many years seen officials battling for power, back-stabbing and undercutting each other at the expense of development.
Ever since the first African boxing body was formed in 1960, no major sponsor has supported African boxing. Observers attribute the incessant wrangles, poor marketing and publicity, opportunistic officials not genuinely interested in boxing other than their selfish interests and lack of regular competitions as some of the contributing factors keeping the sponsors away.
Against this background, the big question remains: *WHICH WAY AFRICA BOXING?*
