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The butterfly effect of boxing in the DRC

Love of boxing continues to spread in the country since Foreman-Ali’s ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ 40 years ago.

The Congolese Ministry of Youth and Sports, located inside the 20 Mai Stadium, hosts daily boxing practices. This location houses the locker room used by Ali in the Rumble.

By Valerie Bah

Published On 24 Dec 2014

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Kinshasa, DRC – The 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” that pitted Muhammad Ali against George Foreman is perhaps the most memorable yet least essential aspect of boxing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo today.

Boxing has been used as a vanity project and a  tool for peace.

In 2009, Ali’s daughter, Khalia, paid homage to her father with a humanitarian visit to DRC. Five years later, President Joseph Kabila’s brother staged a highly publicised commemorative fight. In the country’s eastern regions, where armed conflict is ongoing, some NGOs train former child soldiers to channel their aggression through boxing programmes.

Beyond the nostalgia, serious boxers, officials and institutions face a sober reality. Internal strife tied to dubious elections has been reported within the Congolese National Boxing Federation. Paltry funding curbs the chances of enthusiasts launching careers in amateur and the lucrative world of professional boxing.

Despite these hurdles, the popularity of the sport continues to soar. Amateur boxing clubs, vetted and unregulated, keep surfacing in major cities.

According to National Boxing Federation President Alidord Banguila, about 1,000 championships are organised in the DRC annually, and at least 100 active boxing clubs exist in Kinshasa alone.

Most of these clubs, including Club Livulu, owned by trainer and former welterweight boxer Charles Kisolokele, 59, persist through improvised training grounds, and a dash of hope.

(***)Tete Ali Mohammad(***) is one of many boxing clubs that attracts women, encouraged by a coach whose daughter has won various championships.
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Interest in boxing is quite high as onlookers stop and observe a Tete Ali Mohammad boxing club practice session on their way back from a football match.
Coach Charles Kisolokele, who also works as a security guard at night, hopes to prepare his best boxers for amateur and professional careers. According to him, he has already trained five city champions.
Boxing rings are usually set up on vacant football fields to hold the championships. Due to a power outage, a common occurrence in Kinshasa, the last city district competition was halted and indefinitely postponed after the third fight.
It is not just men and women interested in boxing. Coach Kisolokele(***)s Livulu boxing club meets at 6am daily on a field in the Lemba Commune of Kinshasa, a regular crossing for children on their way to school.
Children are also offered training but the standard minimum competition age for amateur boxing is 11.
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After training and plenty of practice, they are presented to the audience. Here, two young boxers in the mini flyweight class are presented by the referee after the first fight of the night.
The boxers of the Livulu club were called in at the University of Kinshasa campus for a special training session on the day before the championship as Kisolokele and his team critiqued the boxers(***) performances.
In the ring, coach Kisolokele pumps up Abetto, his best boxer, during the finals. (***)He could make it as a professional even though he(***)s stubborn,(***) said Kisolokele. The championship offers no prize money but allows a shot at the title of Kinshasa city champion.
Unfortunately, the fights are not restricted to just inside the ring. National police officers were hired to maintain peace during the championship where several fights broke out.