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2018
WORLD BOXING FEDERATION AWARDS |
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Fighter Of The Year |
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Patrick
Kinigamazi
(Rwanda /
Switzerland)
WBF World
Super
Featherweight
Champion.
Previous
Winners:
2017: Patrick
Kinigamazi
(Rwanda /
Switzerland).
2016: Taylor
Mabika (Gabon).
2015: Alexander
Brand
(Colombia).
2014: Isaac
Rodrigues
(Brazil).
2013: Danie
Venter (South
Africa).
2012: Marco
Antonio Rubio
(Mexico).
2011: Michael
Grant (USA).
2010: Evander
Holyfield (USA).
2009: William
Gare (South
Africa).
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We are now naming a “WBF
Fighter of the Year” for
the 10th time – and for
the very first time ever
a Fighter of the Year
was able to repeat the
feat and win the coveted
award for the second
time running.
So he may be small
(Super Featherweight, to
be exact) and he goes
about his business in a
quiet, unassuming
manner, but
Switzerland’s, by way of
Rwanda, WBF world
champion Patrick
Kinigamazi is “The Man”.
True to himself, he does
not look for easy
touches and, untrue to
his age (35), he seems
to still get better.
Thus, Kinigamazi achieved
two successful WBF world
title defenses in 2018:
In June, he outpointed
Ramiro Blanco (17-2-3)
of Argentina and as
recently as December,
Scotland’s Jordan
McCorry (17-3-1)
suffered the same fate
at the masterful fists
Patrick Kinigamazi – and
both fights were serious
contenders for Fight of
the Year honors, no
less.
Cheers, champ, three
defenses of the WBF
world Super
Featherweight title and
counting.
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Female Fighter Of
The Year |
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Oshin Derieuw
(Belgium)
WBF World
Light Welterweight
Champion.
Previous
Winners:
2017: Segolene
Lefebvre
(France).
2016: Isabel
Millan (Mexico).
2015: Nicole
Wesner
(Germany).
2014: Eva
Voraberger
(Austria).
2013: Christina
Hammer
(Germany).
2012: Holly Holm
(USA). 2011:
Christina Hammer
(Germany).
2010: Ramona
Kuehne
(Germany).
2009: Natascha
Ragosina
(Russia).
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It was in 2018, that
Oshin Derieuw came off
age as a fighter – as we
predicted 12 months ago,
when she stood out to
win the “WBF Newcomer of
the Year” award.
She started the year as
WBF Intercontinental
champion and soon (in
April) crowned herself
WBF world Light
Welterweight champion by
a shut-out decision over
11-4 Lina Tejada.
That, Oshin followed up
with a split decision
win over the very solid
Elfi Philips in October
in what was her first
pro fight in her native
Belgium (Oshin usually
boxes across the border
in France).
This 8-round, non-title
affair served as a
perfect warm-up for her
inaugural title defence
just a few weeks later
over Dahiana Santana
(36-9), a former IBF and
WBA interim world
champion herself.
Derieuw left the much
more experienced
Dominican girl
flabbergasted and
wobbled her a few time
to again win by a wide
margin. In short: It was
a perfect year for Oshin
Derieuw that’s now
deservedly rewarded with
the “Female Fighter of
the Year” award.
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Fight Of The Year |
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Vasil Ducar vs.
Samuel Kadje
Intercontinental
Cruiserweight
Title (29.9 /
Lille, France).
Previous
Winners:
2017: Diego Diaz
Gallardo vs.
Michel Mothmora
2016:
Christopher
Sebire vs.
Martin Antonio
Coggi. 2015:
Jan Zaveck vs.
Sasha Yengoyan.
2014: Rafik
Harutjunjan vs.
Ilya Prymak.
2013: Laszlo
Toth vs. Giorgi
Ungiadze.
2012: Juan José
Montes vs. Oscar
Ibarra I.
2011: Ali Funeka
vs. Zolani
Marali I.
2010: Evander
Holyfield vs.
Francois Botha.
2009: Kreshnik
Qato vs. Fabio
Liggieri.
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What! A! Fight! When an
Intercontinental battle
is named “WBF Fight of
the Year”, you just know
it must have been
something very special.
And the clash of the two
unbeaten fighters,
staged on September 29
in the French city of
Lille, really was.
Both Vasil Ducar, from
the Czech Republic and
6-0-1, as well as Samuel
Kadje, from France and
12-0, delivered a fight
that won’t be forgotten
easily. It was tough as
nails, punches flying
non-stop and both showed
an outstanding desire.
Kadje was busier in a
few crucial rounds, but
that little bit extra he
delivered ultimately
proved his undoing.
Nothing could dent
Ducar, not even with a
narrow points defeat
staring at him when the
last three minutes
started.
After nine rounds, Kadje
was in front on all
cards, but the real
drama was about to
happen in the ultimate
round. Desperate, but
not disheartened, Ducar
let it all hang out and
10 seconds from defeat,
he had punched Kadje to
a standstill, leaving
the referee with no
option but to save the
Frenchman for another
day.
You will have to go to
many, many boxing shows
to ever see again as
many open mouths at the
end of a match as on
this unforgettable Lille
night. Hats off, guys,
enjoy your award!
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Female Fight Of The
Year |
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Segolene
Lefebvre
vs. Yesica
Patricia Marcos
World
Super Bantamweight
Title (2.11 /
Douai, France).
Previous
Winners:
2017: Bukiwe
Nonina vs.
Alesia Graf
2016: Hyun Mi
Choi vs. Unathi
Myekeni.
2015: Gabisile
Tshabalala vs.
Unathi Myekeni.
2014: Rola El
Halabi vs.
Victoria
Cisneros.
2013: Raja
Amasheh vs. Eva
Voraberger.
2012: Holly Holm
vs. Anne Sophie
Mathis II.
2011: Christina
Hammer vs. Maria
Lindberg.
2010: Myriam
Lamare vs. Lucia
Morelli.
2009: Myriam
Lamare vs. Ann
Marie Saccurato.
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“Sego”
has developed into a
real master of the sweet
science. Not a puncher,
as her record of 11-0
with just a single KO,
clearly tells you - but,
oh, can the girl box!
The
challenger for her third
WBF world Super
Bantamweight title
defense was far from a
nobody. Yesica Patricia
Marcos, from Argentina,
came to France with just
a single career defeat
in 30 pro outings and as
a former undefeated
WBO/WBA world champion.
The
fight wasn’t exactly
breath-taking, but such
a fantastic, world class
demonstration of pure
boxing skills with
Marcos never even being
in it, it just had to be
our “WBF Female Fight of
the Year”.
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Knockout Of The
Year |
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Abdallah
Paziwapazi
(Tanzania)
KO 6 Francis
Cheka (26.12 /
Dar Es Salaam,
Tanzania).
Previous
Winners:
No Previous
Winners.
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A new category for us,
because some Knockouts
are simply crying to be
remembered.
So it was when on Boxing
Day 2018, a local grudge
match took place in the
Tanzanian capital of Dar
Es Salaam between former
WBF world champion
Francis Cheka, the
pre-fight favorite, and
Abdallah Paziwapazi for
the WBF Intercontinental
Super Middleweight
championship.
Amidst many words flying
back and forth, they
settled their animosity
in the ring – and how.
In round six, veteran
Cheka found himself
pressed against the
ropes by the younger
man, and never saw it
coming.
Paziwapazi axed the
36-year-old by a monster
of a right hook, as good
a knockout as you will
ever see, and the
referee never bothered
to even count. It will
be hard to match when
the 2019 awards come
around in 12 months’
time.
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Newcomer Of The Year |
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Oluwaseun Joshua
Wahab
(Nigeria)
Intercontinental
Super
Featherweight
Champion.
Previous
Winners:
2017: Sherif
Morina
(Germany). 2016: Malik
Zinad (Libya) &
André Valavanis
(Egypt).
2015: Frans
Ramabola (South
Africa).
2014: Zhang
Junlong (China).
2013: Timy Shala
(Austria).
2012: Timur
Akhundov
(Ukraine).
2011: Nadjib
Mohammedi
(France).
2010: Yvan Mendy
(France).
2009: Goran
Delic (Bosnia &
Hercegovina).
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Oluwa-who? Yes, our male
Newcomer of the Year, is
not exactly a household
name outside of his
native Nigeria. But the
28-year-old sure made
headlines in 2018. Three
fights, three wins, plus
two titles – who can ask
for more?
Wahad started his ’18
campaign in March with
an overwhelming points
victory over the
unbeaten Bright Ayala,
netting himself the WBA
Pan-Africa Super
Featherweight belt. That
was followed by a sixth
round stoppage in July
against the 20-10 Mouibi
Sarouna in a non-title
outing.
After boxing exclusively
in Ghana all his career,
he went home late in
December to a Nigerian
ring for the first time
as a pro for his biggest
fight so far.
Outpointing quality
Tanzanian Issa
Nampepeche by a lopsided
marging, Wahab won the
WBF Intercontinental
Super Featherweight
title and put himself,
at now 18-0 (11), at the
forefront of the pack of
boxers from whom big
things can be expected
in 2019.
Oluwaseun Joshua Wahab,
mark the name!
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Female Newcomer Of
The Year |
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Kylie Fulmer
(Australia)
Intercontinental
Super
Bantamweight
Champion.
Previous
Winners:
2017: Oshin
Derieuw (France)
2016:
Segolene
Lefebvre
(France).
2015: Dan Bi Kim
(South Korea).
2014: Melanie
Zwecker
(Germany).
2013: Natalia
Smirnova
(Russia).
2012: Raja
Amasheh
(Germany).
2011: Zita
Zatyko
(Hungary).
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Kylie Fullmer, our WBF
Female Newcomer of the
Year for 2018, is
unusual in many
respects. For starters,
she has a US American
passport, a home in
Australia and fights out
of Mexico. Then she is
on the threshold of her
potentially biggest
successes at a
remarkable age of 36.
But don’t be fooled, she
wouldn’t have won that
award if she did not
prove her worth as a
fighter this past year.
Kylie’s statistics for
’18 make for impressive
reading: 4-0 (3 KO’s)
and (in her last fight
of the year) the WBF
Intercontinental Super
Bantamweight title,
which was previously
held but
multi-award-winning
Segolene Lefebvre.
Now Fullmer starts 2019
at a career total of 6-0
(5) and, surely, there
is more to come as we
all know, age is just a
number.
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Promoter Of The Year |
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Saul Rios
(Mexico)
Borizteca Boxing
Promotions.
Previous
Winners:
2017: Nisse
Sauerland
(Germany).
2016: Kenji
Maki (Japan).
2015: Mbali
Zantsi (South
Africa).
2014: Dexter T.
Tan
(Philippines).
2013: Oliver
Heib & Bernhard
Notar (Germany).
2012: Oswaldo
Kuchle & Hector
Garcia (Mexico).
2011: Damian
Michael (South
Africa).
2010: Ylli
Ndroqi
(Albania).
2009: Ulf
Steinforth
(Germany).
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Sometimes, giving an
award is easy.
This was the case when
it came to picking a
“WBF Promoter of the
Year”. Saul Rios of
Borizteca Boxing
Promotions, with six (!)
promoted WBF
championships in 2018
was, over the span of
those 12 months, the
most active WBF promoter
worldwide.
Thank you and
congratulations, Saul,
for making it easy this
year.
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Trainer Of The Year |
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Robert Pantigny
(France)
Trainer of Mehdi
Mouhib &
Segolene
Lefebvre.
Previous
Winners:
2017: Giorgio
Costantino
(Switzerland).
2016: William
Guillaume
(France).
2015: Artur
Grigorian
(Germany).
2014: Ulysses
Pereira
(Brazil).
2013: Juan
Carlos Contreras
(Mexico).
2012: Alan
Toweel (South
Africa).
2011: Dirk
Dzemski
(Germany).
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Surely, for this years’
Trainer of the Year
award winner, Robert
Pantigny, it must feel
like “What took them so
long?” – such are the
accumulated merits of
the man from the little
north French city of
Douai.
And we are talking here
“just” his merits with
the World Boxing
Federation, mind you.
Aside from coaching
reigning WBF
Intercontinental
welterweight champion,
the unbeaten Mehdi
Mouhib, his current
masterpiece is WBF
Womens World Super
Bantamweight champ
Segolene Lefebvre with
whom he put together a
remarkable success
streak over the last few
years: Three title
quality defenses and
counting, plus a Female
Fighter of the Year
award (2017) and a WBF
Intercontinental title
for good measure.
Prior to that Pantigny
lead lightheavy Mohamed
Merah and Light Welter
Farid Chebabha (2014) to
WBF International
titles. So, finally,
this award is a long
time coming and fully
deserved for Robert
Pantigny.
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Referee Of The Year |
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Christophe
Hembert (France)
Previous
Winners:
2017: Tony Weeks
(USA).
2016: Zbigniew
Lagosz (Poland).
2015: Bertrand
Chagnoux
(France).
2014: Brahim Ait
Aadi (Belgium).
2013: Edward
Marshall (South
Africa).
2012: Tonio
Tiberi
(Luxembourg).
2011: Juan José
Ramirez (Mexico).
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In 2012, Christophe
Hembert, from Dunkerk in
Northern France,
refereed his first World
Boxing Federation
championship fight.
In 2018, he was still
our most active third
man in the ring. Talk
about consistency.
Hembert proved his
consistency beyond all
doubt and continues to
give excellent
performances as a
referee, hence this
award is long overdue
and hard earned over the
years.
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Administrator Of The Year |
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Max Zuniga (Mexico)
WBF Mexican
Representative.
Previous
Winners:
2017: Sergio
Sotelo (Mexico).
2016:
Christophe
Hembert
(France).
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Max Zuniga, from
Tijuana, was always fond
of the World Boxing
Federation, serving as a
trustful ring official
for some years.
In May of 2018, his
moment came: The WBF was
two days away from a
double-header in his
very hometown – and all
of a sudden without a
supervisor! Max stepped
in, took over as Mexican
representative for the
WBF and not just saved
the show, but soon
proved to be a real
asset to our great team.
He solidified the WBF’s
standing in Mexico and
while there were many
serious contenders to
this award over the past
year, nobody did as
surprising a job than
Max, our “Administrator
of the Year 2018”.
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