▪️Pina’s entry has added pure nitrogen in an already explosive bantamweight division that will set alight Kinshasa and the DR Congo boxing-mad fans
August 19, 2026
Cape Verde’s Olympic Games flyweight bronze medalist David Pina has officially thrown his hat into the ring for the upcoming Africa Elite Men’s and Women’s Boxing Championships, set to rock Kinshasa, DR Congo, from October 18-31, 2026.
The 28-year-old history-maker, who became Cape Verde’s first-ever Olympic medalist at the 2024 Paris Games, confirmed his entry today, August 18, 2026, via a terse message to boxersworld.co.ke: “I will be in Kinshasa for the Africa Championships in the 55kg category.”
Pina’s arrival injects pure nitrogen into an already explosive bantamweight division. He joins a stacked field of warriors ready to trade leather in Africa’s historic boxing capital:
Philip Haoseb (Namibia): Commonwealth Games bronze medalist.
Mwengo Mwale (Zambia): African Games silver medalist and World Championships quarter-finalist
Amadu Mohammed (Ghana): Reigning African Games champion.
Bakora Kalongo (DR Congo):
Homeboy hero and 2025 Africa Zone 3 gold medalist.
The psychological warfare has already begun. Zambia’s Mwale fired the first salvo, publicly dismissing Haoseb as a “junior” to him.
Southpaw Haoseb fired back instantly, stinging Mwale where it hurts: “I won bronze in Glasgow while Mwale returned home empty-handed.”
Pina returns to the continental stage with a massive point to prove. In his last Africa Championships appearance (Maputo 2022), he settled for bronze after a semifinal loss to South Africa’s Tiisetso Matikinca—following dominant wins over Zambia’s Kelvin Hachilala and Mozambique’s Ivo Goncalves.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Pina’s bronze medal run ended in a controversial semifinal defeat to double Olympic and world champion Hasanboy Dusmatov of Uzbekistan. It was a decision that outraged ringside analysts and left Pina deeply unsatisfied.
“My fight against Dusmatov was good. I still think I won, but there’s no subject for now because the judges decided it’s him and it’s done we can do nothing about it, he’s world and Olympic champion. We just have to accept and improve next time,” Pina told me in a phone chat, carrying that burning chip on his shoulder straight into Kinshasa.
Pina joins forces with compatriot Ivanusa Moreira to front the Cape Verdean assault. Their destination is a city deeply rooted in boxing folklore. Kinshasa famously hosted the legendary 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle,” where Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in the eighth round.
Fifty-two years later, the city is preparing for another unforgettable battle royale. See you there!
boxersworld.co.ke
