Julius Luipa
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Julius Luipa (2 January 1948 – 19 June 1996) was a
Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...
n boxer who won two silver medals at the
Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...
and represented Zambia at the
1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
and
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
Olympic Games. One of Zambia's best amateur boxers, he was the country's Sportsman of the Year in 1970 and when he turned professional four years later, he defeated George Chisenga to become Zambian light heavyweight champion and held the title until he was dethroned by
Lottie Mwale Lottie Mwale (14 April 1952 – 18 October 2005) was a Zambian male Light Heavyweight-class boxer who was Commonwealth and African Boxing Union champion for a period of six years. Mwale also won the World Boxing Council (WBC) International ...
in 1977."Mwale is new champ - Luipa falls in round 6," ''Sunday Times of Zambia,'' 28 August 1977


Career

Luipa was born in
Chingola Chingola is a town in Zambia's Copperbelt Province, the country's copper-mining region, with a population of 256,560 (2022 census). It is the home of Nchanga Copper Mine, a deep-shaft high-grade content copper mining operation, which subsequen ...
where he took up boxing at the age of ten at Nchanga North Boxing Club."Luipa: Hero of yesteryear," ''Zambia Daily Mail,'' 10 February 1982 He started his amateur boxing career at Chingola Police Amateur Boxing Club in 1962, and by 1967, was considered one of Zambia's best amateur boxers."Legend Luipa dies a forgotten hero," ''Times of Zambia,'' 20 June 1996“Julius Luipa,” ''Sports Reference,'

(date accessed 1 March 2018)
He won a silver medal during the fourth All-Africa amateur boxing championships held in
Lusaka Lusaka ( ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was abo ...
in 1968, losing the welterweight final to
Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...
’s
Joseph Bessala Joseph Bessala (1 January 1941 – 25 April 2010) was a welterweight boxer from Cameroon. Amateur In 1965, Bessala won the All-Africa Games in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo. He twice won the African Championships in welterweight: in ...
. He was selected to represent his country at the 1968 Mexico Summer Olympics where he defeated
Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
’s Rabah Labiod in the opening round, and then received a bye in round two. As fate would have it, he faced Bessala once again and was defeated, ranking ninth overall, as Bessala went on to win the silver medal. Luipa switched to the light middleweight division for the
1970 Commonwealth Games The 1970 British Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh, Scotland, from 16 to 25 July 1970. This was the first time the name British Commonwealth Games was adopted, the first time metric units rather than imperial units were used in all eve ...
in
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, and took home a silver medal, after losing to Scotsman Tom Imrie in the final, and this helped him win the Zambian Sportsman of the Year award for 1970. Highly respected in Zambian boxing circles, Luipa served as trainer and captain of the Zambia national amateur boxing team from 1968 to 1973. In November 1970, he was sponsored to a 41-day boxing training session in
Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...
,
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
by the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa in conjunction with the Amateur Boxing Association of Zambia, and he pledged to turn a lot of young hopefuls into good boxers if given the opportunity to train them. "I see hundreds and hundreds of young boxers who not only come to watch but also participate in training sessions at various centres all over the country," he said. "They are enthusiastic about it and take a keen interest in learning from those already in the field." In 1971, he was again sponsored by the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa to attend a trainers’ course in
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
for six months and the following year, he won a silver medal at a tournament in
Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...
,
Byelorussian SSR The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, Byelorussian SSR or Byelorussia; ; ), also known as Soviet Belarus or simply Belarus, was a republic of the Soviet Union (USSR). It existed between 1920 and 1922 as an independent state, and ...
and was the only Zambian to take part in the East and Central African Championship in
Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
.”Luipa returns home with a gold medal,” ''Times of Zambia,'' 2 May 1972 He won a gold medal and described the championships as ‘tough but enjoyable.’ Luipa was once again selected to represent Zambia at the
1972 Olympics 1972 Olympics refers to both: *1972 Winter Olympics, which were held in Sapporo, Japan *1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an ...
in
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, this time as a middleweight. At this tournament, he was eliminated by
Bill Knight William George Knight (born October 24, 1947) is a former senior executive and Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of Canada. Knight was born in Estevan, Saskatchewan. A teacher by profession, Knight was first elected as a New D ...
of
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
on points in the opening round. This turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments of his career. In 1973, Luipa formed Chiwempala Amateur Boxing Club when he became an assistant welfare officer and was the club's first trainer. In the same year, he fought another future Zambian champion
Lottie Mwale Lottie Mwale (14 April 1952 – 18 October 2005) was a Zambian male Light Heavyweight-class boxer who was Commonwealth and African Boxing Union champion for a period of six years. Mwale also won the World Boxing Council (WBC) International ...
at Nchanga Social club. Although he dropped Mwale to one knee in the first round, the younger fighter came out stronger in the second round and went on to win a split points decision. Both Luipa and Mwale represented Zambia at the
1974 Commonwealth Games The 1974 British Commonwealth Games () were held in Christchurch, New Zealand, from 24 January to 2 February 1974. The bid vote was held in Edinburgh at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games. The event was officially named "the friendly games". T ...
in
Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...
,
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
, where Mwale won a gold medal in the light middleweight division while Luipa had to settle for silver, after being knocked out in the final of the middleweight competition by Frankie Lucas of
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, sometimes known simply as Saint Vincent or SVG, is an island country in the eastern Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies, at the south ...
. Nicknamed ''Juju Man,'' not, because of a connection to
black magic Black magic (Middle English: ''nigromancy''), sometimes dark magic, traditionally refers to the use of Magic (paranormal), magic or supernatural powers for evil and selfish purposes. The links and interaction between black magic and religi ...
as the name implies, but the iteration of the first syllable of his first name, Luipa turned professional soon after the Commonwealth Games as a middleweight under Pius Kakungu Stables. His first fight was a 10-round bout against
Jim Corbett Edward James Corbett (25 July 1875 – 19 April 1955) was an Anglo-Indian hunter and author. He gained fame through hunting and killing several man-eating tigers and leopards in Northern India, as detailed in his bestselling 1944 memoir '' M ...
whom he knocked out in the third round. Due to a lack of opponents in the division, Luipa was forced to move up to light heavyweight and later that year, he challenged title holder George Chisenga whom he defeated via a sixth-round knockout to become Zambian light heavyweight champion."The ‘Sheikh of Chingola’ gets set to beat Africa," ''Times of Zambia,'' 23 December 1974 He set his eyes on the Commonwealth title and registered victories over Lovemore Gatsi and David Natta in 1975. He also beat
King Marshall Jetu King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
of
Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...
and defended his title against Fanwell Mwanza in 1976."Help Luipa - trainer," ''Times of Zambia,'' 13 October 1982 However, his reign was ended by a loss to Zambian boxing's golden boy
Lottie Mwale Lottie Mwale (14 April 1952 – 18 October 2005) was a Zambian male Light Heavyweight-class boxer who was Commonwealth and African Boxing Union champion for a period of six years. Mwale also won the World Boxing Council (WBC) International ...
who knocked him out in the 6th round of their title fight on 27 August 1977, which was his first loss as a professional."The fight that lived up to expectations," ''Sunday Times of Zambia,'' 28 August 1977 Luipa blamed an injury to his wrist and a pulled muscle in his left arm for the defeat, and promised to win back his title after treatment. Luipa later admitted that he was no longer the same after this fight as he subsequently sank into depression, which was made worse by his friends back in Chingola mocking him over the loss."Luipa needs helps says Kakungu," ''Times of Zambia,'' 15 October 1982 A rematch with Mwale never materialized though Luipa fought another rising star in
Chisanda Mutti Chisanda "Kent Green" Mutti (14 February 1957 — late 1990s) was a Zambian professional boxer of the 1970s and 1980s who won the Zambia middleweight title, Zambia light heavyweight title, and Commonwealth cruiserweight title, and was a challenge ...
in 1978, but was knocked out, and he quit boxing the following year.


1968 Olympic results

Below is the record of Julius Lupia, a Zambian welterweight boxer who competed at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics: * Round of 64: defeated Rabah Laboid (Algeria) by decision, 4-1 * Round of 32: bye * Round of 16: lost to Joseph Bessala (Cameroon) referee stopped contest


1972 Olympic results

Below is the record of Julius Lupia, a Zambian middleweight boxer who competed at the 1972 Munich Olympics: * Round of 32: lost to William Knight (Great Britain) by decision, 2-3


Life after boxing

By 1982, Luipa was completely impoverished and the newspapers brought his sad circumstances to light. Since leaving his last job with the Chingola District Council as an assistant community development officer, Luipa had fallen on hard times. With nowhere to stay, he was being kept by his brother in Ndola's Mushili township and had been forced to surrender his wife to her parents because he could no longer afford to take care of her. He was suffering from a bad case of stomach cramps which forced him to do away with proper meals and subsist on bread, buns and water. “Each time I take cooked food I suffer from indigestion so my proper diet now is dry buns and water,” he disclosed to the ''Zambia Daily Mail.'' What kept him going was his Christian faith and he never missed prayers, spending most of his mornings and evenings at the Mushili Roman Catholic Church. “I’m a sick man and my career has suffered. There is no hope except to pray hard so that the Almighty could lessen my sufferings.” Boxing trainer Ellis Bwalya appealed to the Ministry of Youth & Sport to help the neglected former champion while promoter Pius Kakungu bought him some clothes and appealed to well-wishers to do the same. “He is lonely. His friends have deserted him because he is always in tatters,” said Kakungu. Exhibition bouts whose proceeds would be given to him were mooted and a charity drive improved his circumstances somewhat as he eventually moved back into his own house in Chingola where he faded into obscurity.


Death

After being ill for some time Luipa died at home on 19 June 1996, with barely a mention of his passing in the local media."Julius Luipa is dead," ''Zambia Daily Mail'', 20 June 1996 The ''Times of Zambia'' however still described him as a destitute and this was echoed by the man who dethroned him,
Lottie Mwale Lottie Mwale (14 April 1952 – 18 October 2005) was a Zambian male Light Heavyweight-class boxer who was Commonwealth and African Boxing Union champion for a period of six years. Mwale also won the World Boxing Council (WBC) International ...
, who described him as a brother. “It is sad he is gone. He died a poor man, rather forgotten despite his contribution to Zambian boxing. He was like a brother to me and I learnt a lot from him.” He was laid to rest at Chiwempala Cemetery on 21 June 1996.


Legacy

Luipa inspired a lot of upcoming boxers and was always ready to share his knowledge and experience with younger fighters like Mwale, who drew on Luipa's experience at the 1974 Commonwealth Games. He also trained a lot of young boxers in welfare centres and boxing clubs and was the first trainer at Chiwempala Amateur Boxing club which he formed in 1973.


Honours


Amateur highlights

*1968 Africa Amateur Boxing Championships: Silver medal *1970 Commonwealth Games: Silver medal *1971 Minsk Championship: Silver medal *1971 East and Central African Boxing Championship: Gold medal *1974 Commonwealth Games: Silver medal


Professional

1974-1977: Zambian light heavy weight title


Individual

Zambian Sportsman of the Year 1970


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Luipa, Julius 1948 births 1996 deaths Boxers at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games Boxers at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Zambia People from Chingola Zambian male boxers Olympic boxers for Zambia Boxers at the 1968 Summer Olympics Boxers at the 1972 Summer Olympics Middleweight boxers Medallists at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists in boxing