Paul Bamba
Paul Bamba | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 15 August 1989 Río Piedras, Puerto Rico |
| Died | 27 December 2024 (aged 35) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Nationality |  Puerto Rico United States[3] |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Light heavyweight[1] Cruiserweight |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 22 [2] |
| Wins | 19 |
| Wins by KO | 18 |
| Losses | 3 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
Paul Bamba (15 August 1989 – 27 December 2024) was a Puerto Rican professional boxer.[4][5] In his last fight he won the WBA Gold cruiserweight title after defeating Rogelio Medina[6] on 21 December 2024.[7]
Early life
[edit]Bamba was born in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, on 15 August 1989.[8] Paul's hobbies include skydiving and reading, and his dream is to positively impact less privileged communities and help raise a generation of successful people who came from disadvantaged positions. Paul ran a successful fitness business training clients of every age and is bringing fitness programs to people around the world. His hard work has helped raise over $250k for causes like sending 100 children to summer camp and providing over 500 turkeys to families in need during Thanksgiving. His journey into professional boxing began in his early 30s—a rare and impressive feat in the sport. Standing 6 feet 1 inch tall, his athleticism and discipline allowed him to transition from a fitness trainer to a professional athlete successfully.[9]
Career
[edit]On 4 October 2022, it was announced that Bamba would face British boxer Tommy Fury as the co-feature bout to Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Deji at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.[10] However, during the weigh-in on 12 November, he weighed in at 176.6 Ibs while Fury weighed in at 181.4 Ibs. Both fighters stated that they made the weight that was stated in their contract.[11] Bamba refused to fight, and on 13 November, the day of the fight, he was replaced by Cameroon boxer Rolly Lambert to fight Fury.[12]
On April 21, 2023 Bamba faced former UFC, Bellator fighter Chris Avila, and lost by a unanimous decision making his record 5-3.
In November 2024, having achieved a record of 18 wins and 3 losses with 17 knockouts in a span of a year and half since his last loss, with 13 straight wins since January 2024 winning all by knockouts, Bamba was the first fighter signed to American entertainer Ne-Yo's sports management company. Prior to that Bamba had already captured the WBA-NABA cruiserweight title, WBA Fedecaribe and Fedecentro titles. [13] Bamba first met Ne-Yo as his trainer, teaching him boxing as part of Ne-Yo's workout routine.[14]
In 2024, Bamba broke Mike Tyson's record for most boxing wins in a calendar year via knockout, with 14 KOs throughout the year after knocking out Rogelio Medina Luna,[15] earning him the WBA Gold Cruiserweight title.
Death
[edit]Bamba died on 27 December 2024, at the age of 35.[15][16] It was reported that he made brain damage admission weeks before death. Some time ago in a post uploaded to X, a fan was quick to take a swipe at Bamba in a now delete post saying: "Least he had the balls to fight AT. You got slapped by him and he gave you ‘brain damage’ lol. Clearly left enraged by the post, Bamba was quick to issue his own response as he replied: "Nah fighting Avila with a concussion and losing 22lbs in 3 days gave me slight brain damage. Which was a bit scary and I had to take 8months off so it’s not a joking matter." In a later tweet he claimed he wasn’t able to speak about it till Misfits Boxing decided to.[17]
Professional boxing record
[edit]| 22 fights | 19 wins | 3 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 18 | 1 |
| By decision | 1 | 2 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Win | 19–3 | Rogelio Medina Luna | RTD | 6 (12) 3:00 | Dec 21, 2024 | Carteret Performing Arts Center, Carteret, New Jersey, United States | Won WBA Gold cruiserweight title |
| 21 | Win | 18–3 | Santander Silgado Gelez | TKO | 6 (8) | Nov 2, 2024 | Abba Shrine, Mobile, Alabama, United States | |
| 20 | Win | 17–3 | Francisco Cordero | TKO | 3 (8) 3:00 | Oct 19, 2024 | DoubleTree by Hilton, Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S. | Won WBA-NABA cruiserweight title |
| 19 | Win | 16–3 | Angel Giovanni Ocano Garcia | TKO | 4 (10) 0:10 | Aug 17, 2024 | Agua Prieta, Mexico | |
| 18 | Win | 15–3 | Jose Luis Herrera | KO | 4 (8) 1:45 | Jul 5, 2024 | Gimnasio Yorby Mendoza, Cartagena, Colombia | |
| 17 | Win | 14–3 | Ronald Montes | KO | 5 (10) 1:10 | Jul 1, 2024 | Gimnasio Yorby Mendoza, Cartagena, Colombia | |
| 16 | Win | 13–3 | Francisco Fuentes | TKO | 6 (8) 1:13 | Jun 23, 2024 | Club de Boxeo Atila, Florida, Colombia | |
| 15 | Win | 12–3 | Jose Ramon Escobedo | KO | 2 (8) 1:48 | May 3, 2024 | La Terraza Sport Bar, Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico | |
| 14 | Win | 11–3 | Adoni Zapata Garcia | TKO | 3 (8) | Apr 13, 2024 | Complejo Deportivo Santiago Rodriguez, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | |
| 13 | Win | 10–3 | Pedro Miranda | TKO | 6 (8) 1:23 | Apr 2, 2024 | Coliseo de Pescaito David Ruiz Ureche, Santa Marta, Colombia | |
| 12 | Win | 9–3 | Victor Coronado | TKO | 5 (6) 2:03 | Mar 27, 2024 | Coliseo de Pescaito David Ruiz Ureche, Santa Marta, Colombia | |
| 11 | Win | 8–3 | Jefferson Troncoso | TKO | 2 (6) 2:01 | Feb 22, 2024 | Coliseo de Pescaito David Ruiz Ureche, Santa Marta, Colombia | |
| 10 | Win | 7–3 | Sergio Luna | KO | 2 (4) 1:20 | Jan 31, 2024 | Coliseo de Pescaito David Ruiz Ureche, Santa Marta, Colombia | |
| 9 | Win | 6–3 | Guillermo Ponce | KO | 2 (4) 2:13 | Jan 25, 2024 | Coliseo de Pescaito David Ruiz Ureche, Santa Maria, Colombia | |
| 8 | Loss | 5–3 | Chris Avila | UD | 4 | Apr 21, 2023 | XULA Convocation Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | |
| 7 | Win | 5–2 | Francisco Morelos | KO | 2 (6) 1:12 | Sep 8, 2022 | Coliseo Luis Patron Rosano, Tolú, Colombia | |
| 6 | Loss | 4–2 | Derrick Vann | SD | 4 | Aug 20, 2022 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| 5 | Win | 4–1 | Dionisio Miranda | UD | 8 | Jun 29, 2022 | Club Anibal Gonzalez, Cartagena, Colombia | |
| 4 | Win | 3–1 | Hector Nava Lopez | TKO | 1 (4) 2:43 | Oct 8, 2021 | La Terraza Sport Bar, Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico | |
| 3 | Loss | 2–1 | Abraham Velazquez Salazar | KO | 4 (4) 1:23 | Jun 3, 2021 | Cancha 4, Hermosillo, Mexico | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Juan Manuel Valenzuela Palma | TKO | 1 (4) 2:58 | Jan 29, 2021 | La Terraza Sport Bar, Agua Prieta, Mexico | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Felix Alexis Cardenas | TKO | 1 (4) 1:23 | Jan 9, 2021 | La Terraza Sport Bar, Agua Prieta, Mexico |
References
[edit]- ^ Glinski, George (10 November 2022). "Tommy Fury backed 'to avoid' Jake Paul as Paul Bamba makes 'handpicking' claim". Express. ProQuest 2734842893. Retrieved 28 December 2024 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Ketelle, Lucas (17 December 2024). "In his 14th fight of 2024, Paul Bamba takes on Rogelio "Porky" Medina". BoxingScene. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ Fury, Tommy (10 October 2024). Lightning Can Strike Twice: My Life as a Fury. Little, Brown Book Group. p. 118. ISBN 9781408732250 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Boxer Paul Bamba dies aged 35 just days after last fight". The Independent. 28 December 2024. Retrieved 28 December 2024 – via MSN.
- ^ "Puerto Rican boxer Paul Bamba dies aged 35, six days after last fight". The Guardian. 28 December 2024. ProQuest 3149720311. Retrieved 28 December 2024 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Puerto Rican boxer Bamba dies aged 35". BBC Sport. 28 December 2024. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ Dye, Natasha (27 December 2024). "Championship Boxer Paul Bamba Dies at 35 as Ne-Yo, His Manager, Remembers His 'Exceptional Drive'". People. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ "Paul Bamba". BoxRec. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ Agencies (22 September 2021). "Paul Bamba – The Entrepreneur on Rise". LatestLY. IN10 Media Network. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ Pattle, Alex (4 October 2022). "Tommy Fury's next fight to take place on Mayweather vs Deji undercard". The Independent. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ Benson, Michael (12 November 2022). "Tommy Fury vs Paul Bamba in jeopardy after overweight Fury comes in almost seven pounds heavier than opponent for fight on Floyd Mayweather vs Deji undercard". talkSport. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ Ferguson, Kerr (13 November 2022). "Everything You Need To Know About Tommy Fury's Last Minute Opponent". Boxing Social. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ "WBA Mourns the Passing of Paul Bamba". wbaboxing.com. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
- ^ Nadkarni, Rohan (25 November 2024). "R&B singer Ne-Yo enters professional boxing world as a manager". NBC News. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ a b Frost, Caroline (28 December 2024). "Paul Bamba Dies: Boxer, Who Claimed World Championship Title 6 Days Ago, Was 35". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ "Murió el boxeador Paul Bamba, que peleó hace una semana y había batido un récord de Mike Tyson". La Nación (in Spanish). 28 December 2024. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
- ^ "Boxer Paul Bamba opens up on suffering brain damage and being unable to fight". mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
External links
[edit]- Boxing record for Paul Bamba from BoxRec (registration required)
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