UNZA students clobber ‘thieving’ ex-boxing champion Joseph Chingangu
Former heavyweight boxing champion Joseph ‘No Pressure’ Chingangu was last night battered to an inch of his life by angry University of Zambia students after they allegedly caught him stealing from the students’ hostels.
Chingangu, 49, who fought the likes of Wladimir Klitschko for titles in his heyday, allegedly stole three laptops and a phone from female students who alerted their male counterparts.
After initial attempts at employing his boxing skills to thwart the advancing ‘monks’ failed, the hapless Chingangu was overpowered and savagely beaten until he lost consciousness. By press time, he was admitted at Lusaka’s Levy Mwanawasa hospital.
“After the students identified him as being the person who had stolen the laptops and phone Chingangu tried his boxing [antics] by throwing [some] punches at anyone who was nearby,” UNZA Network writes. “Students had other plans as they gave him a knock out …..He was later taken to UNZA security who were at the time … organizing transport to take the almost lifeless once-upon-a-time champion [to the hospital]. The anger by students comes in the light of many laptops being stolen and cases dying a natural death.”
Since hanging up his gloves four years ago, Chingangu appears to have carved out a steady career in crime.
In February 2016, Chingangu was formally charged with theft of motor vehicle, housebreaking and burglary by Lusaka police. He was later given an aggravated robbery charge before he appeared in court.
According to the police sources, Chingangu was captured on closed-circuit celevision (CCTV) breaking into a house and stealing K6,000, US$200, a 51-inch television set, 2 phones, shoes and clothes.
“We have formally charged him with theft of motor vehicle, housebreaking and burglary. He’s facing two charges. In addition to that, the officers from Flying Squad will come and pick him and they will take him to Central Police and question him about how he robbed a Chinese of K23,000,” a police source said at the time of his arrest on condition of anonymity.
Chingangu was remanded into custody at Kabwata Police Station on Friday February 19, 2016, after he was arrested for theft of a Probox Station Wagon ALH 7159 belonging to Xianchan-Wang Construction Company.
Police later said, “The said car was seen with Chingangu at a filling station in Kamwala but when he was confronted, he drove off and entered Chibolya. We have overwhelming evidence connecting [him] to the theft and he will appear in court soon.”
The boxer, whose professional record of 36 fights reads 27 wins and nine losses, last appeared in a boxing right in October 2012 when he pummeled Elvis Moyo of Zimbabwe in a non-title fight in Johannesburg. In March 2008, Chingangu won the vacant African Boxing Union (ABU) heavyweight title by trouncing Ghanaian Paakwesi Ankrah. He later repeated the feat 3 months later when he defended his title Osborne Machimana of South Africa.
Another mandatory title defence saw him knock out Nigerian Adewale Abbey in November 2009.
Joseph Chingangu stayed briefly in the USA in the late 90s where he managed to ruffle feathers of many boxers including Tim Martin (6 (5) -11 (8)-0), Michael Tate and many others! His fighting speed scared many boxers of his weight division as he combines both hands and footwork like the great Mohammed Ali’s shuffling style and jabbing round the ring. Chingangu has beaten several great boxers including Englishman Tom Collins (26-20-2) and Hungarians Lajos Eros (13-6-1), Zoltan Petranyi (2-1-0), Josef Kull Koszegi (3-13-1) in additional to many boxers form Europe and Africa. The pugilist also knocked out Herbie Hide, born Herbert Okechukwu Maduagwu, a British former professional boxer who held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) heavyweight title twice.
But, it was his fight with the current IBF/WBA/WBO/IBO Heavyweight Champion of the world Wladimir Klitschko then (27-1-0) in 1999 that made him a great boxer he is today. Although he went on to lose to Wladimir Klitschko but his fighting energy and resilient in the ring gave him great publicity mileage!
Additional information sourced from The Post