Paul Bamba passed away aged 35 on Friday, per an announcement from singer and agent Ne-Yo on Instagram.
“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of beloved son, brother, friend and boxing champion Paul Bamba, whose light and love touched countless lives,” the post read.
Bamba was the first boxer to sign with Ne-Yo’s boxing agency. The fighter owned a 19-3 record after defeating Rogelio Media Luna last weekend to earn the WBA Gold Cruiserweight title. “He was a fierce yet confident competitor with an unrelenting ambition to achieve greatness. But more than anything, he was a tremendous individual that inspired many with his exceptional drive and determination,” the statement continued.
“We are heartbroken by his passing and kindly ask for privacy and understanding during this difficult time as we collectively navigate our grief.”
Bamba was a perfect 14 for 14 in his fights in 2024. He took the opportunity after his most recent win to call out Jake Paul.
“[Jake Paul] you can come get it, you can come fight for it or whatever, you can keep doing the gimmick fights,” Bamba declared. “At the end of the day, Ive put in the work. You can say youve taken boxing seriously and yeah youve made a lot of money but you havent earned anything in boxing.”
“If you think about how I started everything versus how everything is going now, I didnt wait for an opportunity I created one,” he continued. “And I went out and grabbed it by the horns so to speak and did my thing this year. Look at the facts; 14 fights, 14 KOs in one year, how many belts have I got here?”
Paul recently expressed the criticism of his opponents. “I know Im the best in the world and Im going to be [the] world champion,” he admitted. “Theres a long line out there and they can take a ticket and get in line to see who I want to fight next.”
Bamba was supposed to fight Tommy Fury, the half-brother of Tyson Fury, in a 2022 Dubai showdown before his opponent canceled for being seven pounds overweight. “It literally looks like they planned to screw me the whole time,” Bamba told the Mirror at the time. “My contract said we had to be the same weight, and they were supposed to provide me with another option like they did Tommy.”
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