Isaac Chilemba
Encyclopedia
Isaac Chilembe is a Malawian
professional boxer who competes in the light heavyweight and super middleweight divisions. He is the current holder of the full IBO belt at super middleweight and the WBC International title
at light heavyweight. He has also held the African Boxing Union titles at both weights. Moreover, Isaac has been featured in the top ten in Ring Magazine's ratings for light heavyweights.
, South Africa
on 19 October 2005 defeating Thamsanga Tindleni in the 2nd round of a 4 round contest. He compiled a run of eight successive victories before dropping a points decision to Willbeforce Shihepo on 5 July 2007 at the Emperor's Palace in Gauteng
. The reverse to Shihepo was immediately rectified in his next fight, again in Gauteng
, on 21 November 2007 defeating Shihepo on points over six rounds. Two more fights followed in 2008 resulting in wins over David Kitooke and Chamunorowa Gonorenda before Chilembe got the opportunity to fight for the African Boxing Unions super middleweight championship on 13 September 2008. The fight for the title once again took place at the Emperor's Palace and pitched Chilemba against the experienced former Commonwealth champion Charles Adamu
with Chilemba winning the fight with a 12 round decision to lift the title.
took place on 13 June 2009 and resulted in a second victory over the Ugandan
. Chilemba followed this up on 31 October 2009 with another title win, this time defeating French based Congolese
fighter Doudou Ngumba to lift the African Boxing Union's light heavyweight version as well as the WBC International title. A first defence of the WBC title was due to have been made on 26 March 2010 with the Malawian travelling to England
to meet former British champion Tony Oakey on a Ricky Hatton
promoted bill. The fight however never materialised after Oakey lost an English title fight to fellow countryman Danny McIntosh
. Following Oakey, the next opponent lined up for Chilemba was to be Rupert van Aswegen but he then chose to retire from the sport altogether leaving the Malawian once again without an opponent.
Michael Bolling on 19 June 2010 for the vacant IBO World title
. The fight at the Emperor's Palace, resulted in another win for the Malawian and was his fourth title fight in a row in which a different title had been on the line. Chilemba made the first defence of his IBO belt on 6 November 2010 returning to the Emperors Palace and retaining with a grueling draw against touted South African Thomas Oosthuizen
despite being the underdog going into the fight. On 25 February 2011 Chilemba traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma to fight in the United States for the first time. His opponent, the unbeaten Russian Maxim Vlasov had won all 19 of his previous fights and managed to knock Chilemba down twice in the 8th round. Despite this the Malawian was able to win the fight over the 10 round distance. Chilemba returned to South Africa for his next fight against Namibian boxer Vikapita Meroro and retained the WBC International light heavyweight title on 26 March 2011 with a unanimous points win.
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
professional boxer who competes in the light heavyweight and super middleweight divisions. He is the current holder of the full IBO belt at super middleweight and the WBC International title
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
at light heavyweight. He has also held the African Boxing Union titles at both weights. Moreover, Isaac has been featured in the top ten in Ring Magazine's ratings for light heavyweights.
Early professional career
Chilembe made his professional debut in GautengGauteng
Gauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
on 19 October 2005 defeating Thamsanga Tindleni in the 2nd round of a 4 round contest. He compiled a run of eight successive victories before dropping a points decision to Willbeforce Shihepo on 5 July 2007 at the Emperor's Palace in Gauteng
Gauteng
Gauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994...
. The reverse to Shihepo was immediately rectified in his next fight, again in Gauteng
Gauteng
Gauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994...
, on 21 November 2007 defeating Shihepo on points over six rounds. Two more fights followed in 2008 resulting in wins over David Kitooke and Chamunorowa Gonorenda before Chilembe got the opportunity to fight for the African Boxing Unions super middleweight championship on 13 September 2008. The fight for the title once again took place at the Emperor's Palace and pitched Chilemba against the experienced former Commonwealth champion Charles Adamu
Charles Adamu
Charles Adamu is a Ghanain professional boxer fighting in the super middleweight division. As an amateur he represented Ghana in the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games winning a bronze medal and in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games reaching the second round...
with Chilemba winning the fight with a 12 round decision to lift the title.
Championship fights
In his next fight Chilemba stepped up to light heavyweight and challenged former victim David Kitooke for the WBO version of the light heavyweight title. The fight at the Graceland Casino in MpumalangaMpumalanga
Mpumalanga , is a province of South Africa. The name means east or literally "the place where the sun rises" in Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, north of KwaZulu-Natal and bordering Swaziland and Mozambique. It constitutes 6.5% of South Africa's land area...
took place on 13 June 2009 and resulted in a second victory over the Ugandan
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. Chilemba followed this up on 31 October 2009 with another title win, this time defeating French based Congolese
Kongo people
The Bakongo or the Kongo people , also sometimes referred to as Kongolese or Congolese, is a Bantu ethnic group which lives along the Atlantic coast of Africa from Pointe-Noire to Luanda, Angola...
fighter Doudou Ngumba to lift the African Boxing Union's light heavyweight version as well as the WBC International title. A first defence of the WBC title was due to have been made on 26 March 2010 with the Malawian travelling to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to meet former British champion Tony Oakey on a Ricky Hatton
Ricky Hatton
Richard John Hatton MBE, more commonly known as Ricky "the Hitman" Hatton, , is a former British professional boxer, and currently a promoter....
promoted bill. The fight however never materialised after Oakey lost an English title fight to fellow countryman Danny McIntosh
Danny McIntosh
Danny McIntosh is a British light heavyweight boxer based in Norfolk. He is a former holder of both the English and European light heavyweight titles and a former challenger for the British and Commonwealth titles.-Professional Career:...
. Following Oakey, the next opponent lined up for Chilemba was to be Rupert van Aswegen but he then chose to retire from the sport altogether leaving the Malawian once again without an opponent.
IBO World Title
Following the pullout, Chilemba moved back down at super middleweight for the chance to fight undefeated AustralianAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
Michael Bolling on 19 June 2010 for the vacant IBO World title
International Boxing Organization
The International Boxing Organization is a for-profit organization that sanctions professional boxing matches and awards world and subordinate championships.- Origins :...
. The fight at the Emperor's Palace, resulted in another win for the Malawian and was his fourth title fight in a row in which a different title had been on the line. Chilemba made the first defence of his IBO belt on 6 November 2010 returning to the Emperors Palace and retaining with a grueling draw against touted South African Thomas Oosthuizen
Thomas Oosthuizen
Thomas "Tommy Gun" Oosthuizen is a South African professional boxer and the current IBO Super Middleweight champion.. The Ring Magazine presently ranks him at ninth in the Super Middleweight division, while ESPN has him at number ten...
despite being the underdog going into the fight. On 25 February 2011 Chilemba traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma to fight in the United States for the first time. His opponent, the unbeaten Russian Maxim Vlasov had won all 19 of his previous fights and managed to knock Chilemba down twice in the 8th round. Despite this the Malawian was able to win the fight over the 10 round distance. Chilemba returned to South Africa for his next fight against Namibian boxer Vikapita Meroro and retained the WBC International light heavyweight title on 26 March 2011 with a unanimous points win.