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Paul Bamba, boxer from Puerto Rico, has died at the age of 35, six days after the triumph in the WBA Gold Cruiserweight. The cause of his death is still unclear, his death was announced by his manager, the R&B singer Shaffer “Ne-Yo” Smith, in a statement from his family.
The announcement was made on December 28, 2024 after Bamba registered his victory over Rogelio Medina in New Jersey on December 21 through knockout in the sixth round.
Paul Bamba never made any fuss about the challenges on his way, rather he was so determined to succeed.
Born in Rio Piedras in Puerto Rico he had a very challenging life. Before boxing career, was in the U.S. Marine Corp and had PTSD after an Iraq tour.
He was homeless after leaving the military and took up boxing in order to find some meaning in his life. He used the sport at Morris Park Boxing Club in Bronx and credited the sport with saving him.
Bamba became professional in January of 2021 and did not take long to leave his mark on boxing.
The same year he achieved a total of 14 wins through knockouts. In total, his record is 19-3 with the abundance of 18 knockouts.
His year ended up with the triumph against Medina, it was the fourth fight and three times he was beaten.
First working at 10 dollars per round as the sparring partner, he passes through all the struggles and eventually becomes an acknowledged specialist in this sport.
Coaches with this tempo are Aaron “Superman” Davis and Bobby Miles; training under them honed his moves and changed his life.
Paul Bamba, in addition to his boxing achievements, participated in influencer boxing and aimed for high-profile matches.
He expressed fighting with Jake Paul and was supposed to fight Tommy Fury in 2022 but that plan did not materialize.
The last championship this year raises questions whether he will be provided with more chances in the boxing world.
Until his death, Paul Bamba lived in Atlanta where he was a personal trainer of Ne-Yo besides trying to pursue his boxing profession.
As much as he invested his time in the Accounting profession or the IT profession, he showed commitment to both making sure that he got adequate time for the family despite the tight schedules.
Bamba’s role as a fighter and fighter all through his struggle will always be remembered in the boxing fraternity.
He’s conquered quite a few challenges and people with their dreams of participating in sports love his success story.
The tributes paid out whenever he passed on are evidence of his influence over the lives of other people.
The news of Bamba’s death did open up a huge gap in the boxing fraternity. This story of the man who went from adversity to a champion speaks a lot of him as a hard working man who has passion for the sport.
As people mourn and celebrate Paul Bamba the man who got out of the ring he will be remembered by what he left for the people he left behind.
