▪️ He’s leaving nothing to chance in his thorough preparations to end this medal drought for Africa in Dubai next month
12/11/2025
Cape Verde’s Olympic Games flyweight bronze medallist David Pina is fired up to win Africa’s first medal in eight years at the 2025 Men’s World Boxing Championships scheduled for Dubai from December 2-13.
Since Cameroon’s super-heavyweight Arsene Fokou Fosso won bronze in the 2017 Men’s World Championships in Hamburg, Germany, no African boxer has won a medal in the subsequent Men’s World Championships in 2019, 2021 and 2023.
Fosso, a super-heavyweight gold medallist inG the 2017 Africa Elite Championships in Congo Brazzaville where he beat Uganda’s David Ayiti in the finals, first defeated Moldova’s Alexel Zavatin 3-2 in the second round, KO’d Colombia’s Cristian Salcedo in the quarter finals and bowed out in the semi-finals, losing 5-0 to Kazakhstan’s eventual silver medallist Kamshybek Kunkabayev who went on to win a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The 6′ 3″ Cameroonian is now an Australian citizen settled in Canberra fighting as a pro with a record of 5-5-0 3 KOs. He was one of the five Cameroon athletes who disappeared from the Games Village to seek asylum during the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.
As Pina ponders over Fosso’s bronze as the last one won by an African boxer in Men’s World Boxing Championships, Cape Verde’s first ever Olympic Games medallist is not amused by the eight-year drought Africa has gone through.
“Surely eight years is such a long long time, I must end all this in Dubai, it hurts me for Africa failing to win a medal since 2017,” says Pina as he sharpens his reflexes, a dance of anticipation and evasion throwing hundreds of jabs, hooks and crosses under the close watch of his long-time coach Bruno Carvalho in Lisbon, Portugal.
Photo courtesy of Daily Telegraph
Pina is based in Lisbon with his two children Hellen and Miller and wife Cindy. He relocated to Portugal in 2021 after competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. “It’s more convenient here for me since I’m nearer my coach I trust so much,” Pina told boxersworld.co.ke in a telephone interview from Lisbon.
With coach Carvalho by his side, Pina made history in Paris, settling for a bronze medal to win Cape Verde’s first ever Olympic Games medal. “It’s an achievement I’ll cherish for the rest of my life, and it’s one of my inspirations as I plan to add another medal in Dubai,” says who believes in solid preparations as the key to success in major competitions.
Ahead of the final 2024 Olympic Qualifiers in Bangkok, Thailand, Pina’s training team comprised a psychologist, nutritionist, personal doctor, a variety of sparring partners and a physio.
“There’s no shortcut to success, you have to be strategic in your planning, without it then you’re planning for your failure,” says Pina who is following almost the same Paris pattern in his preparations for Dubai Men’s Worlds, and talks more on the role of a psychologist in his preparations.
“A psychologist has a very important role during my training to prepare me mentally, you can be fit physically but mentally you’re not okay,” explains Pina who spars with different type of opponents from left-handed boxers, right-handed, heavy hitters, speedy boxers, brawlers, tall and short opponents, southpaws and even heavier opponents than him.
“I’ve been preparing for the World Championships since August, I wanted to take part in the Africa Elite Championships as a build-up towards Dubai but it’s postponed to next year
“My preparation is going okay so far. I’m doing a lot of training physical, technical and lots of sparring. For now, I’m training in Lisbon with my coach Bruno and physical trainer.
“Like I did in my preparations for Paris I have a physical coach, nutritionist, psychologist, doctor and others to work with me all day long for this tournament.
“If my budget permits I’m likely to go to Brazil or Cuba for further training.”
Pina has a lot of trust and confidence on his Portugal coach Carvalho. “Coach Bruno is my master strategist in training and during competitions, what I’ve achieved is through his guidance,” says Pina
“My coach makes sure I have different sparring partners from different nationalities,” says Pina, adding: “Sometimes when my coach goes out to some tournament, I get a chance to train with the other guys from a different gym. When he was at European Youth Championships I had two sparring sessions outside the gym. This is important to build confidence and prepare for different type of opponents I’m likely to meet in Dubai.”
He’s grateful the Cape Verde government is supporting him fully in the Dubai Worlds.
“My government is funding my training and participation in the World Championships, I’m very grateful for their support,” says Pina, now the most popular sportsman in Cape Verde and a role model to hundreds of youth who want to emulate him following his historic achievement at the Paris Olympics.
This will be the second time Pina is taking part in Men’s World Championships. He made his debut in the 2023 Men’s Worlds in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, losing in the round of 64 to Jabaly Breedy of Barbados who lost in the round of 32 to Spain’s Martin Molina.
It was at the 2023 Tashkent Worlds that African boxers came close to ending the medal drought in Men’s World Championships.
Two Zambian star boxers, African Games flyweight champion Patrick “Baddo” Chinyemba and 2022 African lightweight champion Andrew Chilata, and Ghana’s bantamweight Amadu Mohammed powered their way to the quarter-finals.
The gallant sons of Africa went down fighting with eyebrows raised over Chinyemba’s 4-3 loss to Spain’s Martin Molina. Chilata was beaten 5-0 by eventual silver medalist, Cuba’s Erislandy Alvarez while Amadu lost 5-0 to Kazakhstan’s gold medallist in Tashkent Makhmud Sabyrkhan.
Over you Pina. You’re carrying the hopes of thousands of African boxing fans. Go! go! for the GOLD Pina.
