Patrizio Sumbu Kalambay (born 10 April 1956) is a Congolese-born Italian former professional boxer. A world champion and two-time title challenger, he held the
WBA world
middleweight title from 1987 until 1988.
Personal life
Kalambay was born in the
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964.
Colo ...
. He moved to
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
during his youth, settling in
Chiaravalle, in the
Marche region, where he learned
boxing
Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...
and still resides. He changed his name to Patrizio as a tribute to fellow Italian boxer
Patrizio Oliva
Patrizio Oliva (born 28 January 1959) is an Italian former professional boxer, who won the gold medal in the light welterweight division at the 1980 Moscow Olympics as an amateur and the WBA light welterweight title as a professional.
Early lif ...
.
Professional career
After compiling an amateur record of 90 wins and 5 losses, Kalambay turned professional in 1980. In 1985, he was outpointed over ten rounds by
Duane Thomas
Duane Julius Thomas (born June 21, 1947) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins. He played college football at West Texas State University.
Early yea ...
in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States. Kalambay won the Italian
middleweight title by defeating Giovanni De Marco by split decision, then lost to former WBA light middleweight champion
Ayub Kalule by split decision over twelve rounds for the
European
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
middleweight title.
In May 1987 at The Arena, Wembley, London, Kalambay won the European middleweight title by outpointing
Herol Graham
Herol Graham (born 13 September 1959) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1978 to 1998. A three-time world title challenger, he is generally acknowledged as one of the best British boxers of the post-war era to have never w ...
, who was 38-0 and ranked #1 in the world.
In his next fight, Kalambay defeated future three-weight world champion
Iran Barkley
Iran Barkley (born May 6, 1960) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 1999. He held world championships in three weight classes, including the WBC middleweight title from 1988 to 1989, the IBF super middleweight ti ...
by unanimous decision over fifteen rounds to win the vacant
WBA middleweight title. He made three successful title defenses, including an upset unanimous decision win over
Mike McCallum
Mike McCallum (born 7 December 1956) is a Jamaican former professional boxer who competed from 1981 to 1997. He held world championships in three weight classes, including the WBA super welterweight title from 1984 to 1988, the WBA middlewe ...
, the undefeated former WBA light middleweight champion.
In March 1989, at the Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, he boxed undefeated
IBF
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
middleweight champion
Michael Nunn
Michael John Nunn (born April 14, 1963) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 2002. He is a two-weight world champion, having held the IBF middleweight title from 1988 to 1991, and the WBA super middleweight title ...
, being stripped of the WBA belt prior to the bout. Surprisingly, Kalambay was knocked out in the first round with one punch. It was the only knock out loss of his career.
In 1990, Kalambay regained the European title by defeating Francesco Dell'Aquila, and defended it against Frederic Seillier, both via ninth round stoppages. In 1991, Kalambay had a rematch with McCallum in an attempt to regain the WBA middleweight title, which McCallum won by a close split decision.
Kalambay made four more successful defenses of the European title in Italy, including a rematch win over Herol Graham, and a points victory over future two-weight world champion
Steve Collins
Stephen Collins (born 21 July 1964) is an Irish former professional boxer who competed from 1986 to 1997. Known as the Celtic Warrior, Collins is the most successful male Irish boxer in recent professional boxing history, having held the WBO mi ...
.
In May 1993, at Granby Halls, Leicester, East Midlands, England, Kalambay lost by unanimous decision to
Chris Pyatt
Chris Pyatt (born 1963 in Islington) is a former world middleweight champion boxer from Leicester, England.
Boxing career Amateur
He represented England at the 1982 Commonwealth Games, England and won a gold medal in the welterweight division, ...
in a challenge for the vacant
WBO middleweight title.
At 37, Kalambay retired with a record of 57-6-1 (33 KOs). He then worked as a boxing trainer, coaching, among others,
Paolo Vidoz
Paolo Vidoz (born 21 August 1970) is an Italian former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2011 and held the European heavyweight title from 2005 to 2006. As an amateur Vidoz won a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics in the super-heavywei ...
and
Michele Piccirillo
Michele Piccirillo (born 29 January 1970 in Modugno, Italy) is a professional boxer in the welterweight () division.
Amateur career
Michele Piccirillo was an Italian boxer who earned the nickname “Il Gentleman del Ring” for his elegant ...
.
Professional boxing record
Career after boxing
Sumbu Kalambay is currently the trainer of boxers
Paolo Vidoz
Paolo Vidoz (born 21 August 1970) is an Italian former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2011 and held the European heavyweight title from 2005 to 2006. As an amateur Vidoz won a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics in the super-heavywei ...
,
Michele Piccirillo
Michele Piccirillo (born 29 January 1970 in Modugno, Italy) is a professional boxer in the welterweight () division.
Amateur career
Michele Piccirillo was an Italian boxer who earned the nickname “Il Gentleman del Ring” for his elegant ...
and
Carel Sandon.
Family
He is the father of
Patrick Kalambay, an
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
football midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
.
See also
*
List of world middleweight boxing champions Championship recognition
1884–1910
Champions were recognized by public acclamation. A champion in that era was a fighter who had a notable win over another fighter and kept winning afterward. Retirements or disputed results could lead to a cha ...
References
Bibliography
* Gabriele Tinti, Sumbu Kalambay,''Con l'Africa dentro'', Milan, Mimesis, 2010.
External links
*
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalambay, Sumbu
1956 births
Living people
Democratic Republic of the Congo male boxers
People from Lubumbashi
Democratic Republic of the Congo emigrants to Italy
Italian male boxers
Italian sportspeople of African descent
European Boxing Union champions
World middleweight boxing champions
World Boxing Association champions
The Ring (magazine) champions