Thomas Essomba (born 2 December 1987) is a Cameroonian-British former
professional boxer
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...
who has held the
European
European, or Europeans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...
bantamweight
Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is .
The name for the class ...
and
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...
flyweight
Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing up to and including 51 kg (112 lb) for a title fight.
Professional boxing
The flyweight division was the last of boxin ...
titles. As an
amateur
An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
, he represented Cameroon at the
2012 Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
, reaching the round of 16 of the
light-flyweight bracket.
Career
Essomba fought in two Olympic games for the Cameroon boxing team;
at the 2012 Olympics in London, he was captain of the team and reached the last 16 of the light-flyweight division, being defeated by
Paddy Barnes
Patrick Gerard Barnes (born 9 April 1987) is an Irish former boxer who competed as an amateur from 2005 to 2016 and as a professional from 2016 to 2019. As an amateur he competed in the light-flyweight division, representing Ireland at the 20 ...
.
He defected in London, was given
political asylum
The right of asylum, sometimes called right of political asylum (''asylum'' ), is a juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereignty, sovereign authority, such as a second country or ...
and indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom, and became a British citizen soon after.
He resettled in
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
, where he has trained at the Olympian Gym.
In his professional career, he won the Commonwealth flyweight title in October 2015 and the English bantamweight title in March 2018.
Achievements
*2019 WBA Continental bantamweight title
*2018 English bantamweight title
*2015 Commonwealth flyweight title
*2015 International Masters Bronze super-flyweight title
*2012 Second Olympic participation, London, England
[
*2012 Cameroon champion, best sportsman, first Cameroon Award.
*2011 AIBA World Championship ranking: 20
*2011 African Confederation ranking: 1]
Professional boxing record
See also
* Cameroon at the 2008 Summer Olympics#Boxing
References
External links
*
Data
1987 births
Living people
Light-flyweight boxers
Olympic boxers for Cameroon
Commonwealth Games competitors for Cameroon
Boxers at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
Boxers at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Boxers at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Cameroonian male boxers
African Games gold medalists for Cameroon
African Games gold medalists in boxing
African Games bronze medalists in boxing
African Games bronze medalists for Cameroon
Boxers at the 2007 All-Africa Games
Boxers at the 2011 All-Africa Games
Long stubs with short prose
{{Cameroon-boxing-bio-stub