Boxer fights poverty on the streets of Johannesburg South

Skilled boxer Paul Kamanga is preparing to challenge for the IBF continental welterweight title on November 20 in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

He has made a great comeback after spending three years of not boxing and is positive that he will slowly eradicate poverty one day at a time.

The 28-year-old Oakdene resident has exactly a decade of skill in professional boxing.

Coming from a very poor family and seeing how blessed they would be when other people reached out and helped with food and clothing, he said he must pay it forward.

His kind heart and exceptional wins saw him being named South Africa’s 100 most influential young people in the year 2016.

“During the lockdown, I saw that many people were being hit hard. I then started a food drive where I would bring food to many families in need. With the help of ordinary citizens, we managed to help about 150 families,” said Paul.

He said he is in conversation with various corporates to work with him monthly to carry on with the food scheme.

Boxing journey

He was in matric when his burning passion for boxing kicked in.

“It was a tricky schedule to maintain but I managed to be successful, purely by the grace of God. As my journey in boxing continued, I won the East Rand Veterans Boxing Association prospect of the year in 2013.

“After 12 straight wins, I challenged the late Boitshepo Mandawe for the World Boxing Association pan African super lightweight title,” he said.

After a hard-fought 12 rounds, Paul walked away with a victory and a belt.

He then went on to win the same title at welterweight against a tough Khazak who he beat with a TKO in the fourth round. He defended his title once again and by this time, Paul had 19 wins and no losses nor draws.

“The next natural step was for me to venture abroad and on my first attempt at an international competition, I lost a fight narrowly on points in Russia. I was not deterred by my first loss. I kept it moving and went to the United Kingdom for my next fight where I won the WABC International super lightweight title,” said Paul.

This win elevated him to an elite level in boxing.

“I took my loss to Ohara Davies, who is a very good fighter, quite hard. I struggled to process it among the countless things that were happening around me, including problems with my management team and losing a significant amount of money,” he said.

It was at that point that he decided to leave the sport and retire.

During the three years of not boxing, certain trainers and sponsors engaged with him, which helped get him back into the ring.

Upon his return, he then fought in Congo in May 2021 and won by KO.

Making a difference

He then started being involved more in charity and giving back to the community as soon as he returned to boxing.

“I would speak to schools and motivate youngsters. I started doing some work with children from Fight with Insight. For this initiative, I won the prize of Lead SA Hero, sponsored by 702FM.

“I then started my charity organisation called Cleaning the South, where I would work with the homeless and we would clean the streets,” said Paul.

He has partnered with La Rochelle’s Christway on a soup kitchen project to reach more people and impact more lives.

“I’m thankful to NGL Logistics who have stepped up to be the first sponsors of my drive. We are still looking for more companies to come on board and help us feed more people,” he said.

He is also conducting boot camp classes every Sunday at the corner of Vorster and Glen avenues in Glenvista. The classes will take place from 08:00 to 09:00 and are free for everyone.

Nutrition plans will also be discussed with all interested participants.

Those interested in sponsoring him or offering support to his charity may contact him on 065 806 2837 or via email at Paulkamunga@gmail.com