Zambia’s celebrated boxer Patrick ‘Baddo’ Chinyemba, fresh off his performance at the Paris Olympics, is set to face Ghana’s resilient Theophilus ‘Lopez’ Allotey in an eight-round IBA Africa flyweight title bout on August 17 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

This marks the first time the increasingly popular IBA Champions Night series will be held on African soil. The event will feature some of the continent’s top boxers competing not for medals but for prize money, as the IBA Champions Night contests are organized in a professional boxing format.

The headline match between Chinyemba and Allotey is anticipated to be explosive. It will also be their third encounter, with Chinyemba currently leading 2-0 after victories over Allotey in last year’s World Championships in Uzbekistan and the recent African Games in Accra.

In addition to the headline bout, the card will feature Tanzania’s Commonwealth Games and Africa bronze medallist, Yusuf Changalawe, who will face DR Congo’s Pita Kabeji for the third time, with Kabeji having won their previous two encounters.

The event is a significant milestone for African Boxing Confederation (AFBC) President Eyassu Wossen Berhanu, who will be hosting the prestigious event in his home country with distinguished personalities expected to attend.