Franco "Thunderbird" Wanyama (7 February 1968 - 21 March 2019[1]) in Kampala, was a Ugandan amateur middleweight and professional cruiser/heavyweight boxer of the 1980s, '90s and 2000s. He was an amateur representative of Uganda at middleweight in the Boxing at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, losing to eventual bronze medal winner Chris Sande of Kenya, and as a professional won the BeNeLux heavyweight title, BeNeLux cruiserweight title, Commonwealth cruiserweight title, and World Boxing Federation (WBF) cruiserweight title, and was a challenger for the Commonwealth cruiserweight title against Chris Okoh, his professional fighting weight varied from 181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb), i.e. cruiserweight to 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb), i.e. heavyweight. Wanyama defeated notable fighters such as Jimmy Thunder, Carl Thompson and Johnny Nelson and was sparring partner to Vitali Klitschko & Wladimir Klitschko. He lived his last years in Rugby, Warwickshire, England and had 3 children, Shannon Wanyama, Nellie Wanyama and Wanga Wanyama.[2]
Franco Wanyama | |
|---|---|
 Franco and his students in 2013 | |
| Born | Franco Wanyama 7 February 1968 Kampala, Uganda |
| Died | 21 March 2019 (aged 51) |
| Nationality | Ugandan |
| Other names | Thunderbird |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Middleweight Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Reach | 75 in (191 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 29 |
| Wins | 20 |
| Wins by KO | 7 |
| Losses | 7 |
| Draws | 2 |
Early life edit
Franco started boxing around the age of 6 after becoming curious of what was inside a local boxing gym.
Professional career edit
Franco made his professional debut on 25 December 1989 against Dutch fighter John Held (7-13-2) it ended a 6-round points draw. In 1990 he beat future world title holder Carl Thompson on points. In 1993 he won a bout against another future world champion, Johnny Nelson, who was disqualified for repeated holding. In 1995 he was matched with former world champion Thomas Hearns but the fight was called off at the last minute and Hearns was replaced by ranked Heavyweight Jimmy Thunder, Wanyama and gave away a 30 pounds in weight but still came away with a points victory.
Later years edit
After his retirement Franco worked as a sparring partner, notably with the Klitschko brothers. From 2007 he became a youth worker and boxing coach in Rugby, taking classes for the youth service whilst also being a coach at a local amateur boxing gym. On the 21st of March 2019 Franco died at his home in Rugby.[3]
Professional boxing record edit
| 29 fights | 20 wins | 7 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 7 | 5 |
| By decision | 13 | 2 |
| Draws | 2 | |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Win | 20–7–2 |  Csaba Olah
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TKO | 3 (6) | 2000-06-16 |  Ghent, Belgium
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| 28 | Win | 19–7–2 |  Daniel Jerling
|
PTS | 6 | 1999-10-15 | Ghent, Belgium
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| 27 | Win | 18–7–2 | Geert Blieck
|
MD | 6 | 1999-04-05 | Ghent, Belgium
|
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| 26 | Win | 17–7–2 |  Abdul Kadou
|
PTS | 10 | 1997-12-25 | Nakivubo Stadium, Kampala, Uganda
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| 25 | Loss | 16–7–2 | Dirk Wallyn
|
TKO | 5 (8) | 1996-12-25 |  Izegem, Belgium
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| 24 | Loss | 16–6–2 | Dirk Wallyn
|
TKO | 7 (8) | 1996-11-01 | Izegem, Belgium
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| 23 | Loss | 16–5–2 | Garry Delaney
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PTS | 6 | 1996-02-06 | Festival Hall, Basildon, England
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| 22 | Loss | 16–4–2 | Chris Okoh
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TKO | 8 (12) | 1995-09-29 | York Hall, Bethnal Green, England
|
For vacant Commonwealth (British Empire) Cruiserweight title. |
| 21 | Win | 16–3–2 |  James Thunder
|
SD | 10 | 1995-07-16 |  Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
|
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| 20 | Draw | 15–3–2 |  Kalin Stoyanov
|
PTS | 8 | 1994-04-02 | De Haan, Belgium
|
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| 19 | Win | 15–3–1 | Tony Booth
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TKO | 2 (12) | 1994-01-28 | Waregem, Belgium
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Won vacant Commonwealth (British Empire) Cruiserweight title. |
| 18 | Win | 14–3–1 |  Bobbie Joe Edwards
|
PTS | 8 | 1993-12-25 | Izegem, Belgium
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| 17 | Win | 13–3–1 | Johnny Nelson
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DQ | 10 (12) | 1993-10-01 | Waregem, Belgium
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Won WBF (Federation) Cruiserweight title. Nelson disqualified for repeated fouls. |
| 16 | Win | 12–3–1 | Daniel Krumov
|
TD | 2 (6) | 1993-04-23 | Waregem, Belgium
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| 15 | Win | 11–3–1 |  John Held
|
UD | 10 | 1993-01-29 | Waregem, Belgium
|
Won BeNeLux Cruiserweight title. |
| 14 | Win | 10–3–1 | Tony Booth
|
PTS | 6 | 1992-12-25 | Izegem, Belgium
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| 13 | Win | 9–3–1 |  Faustino Gonzalez
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TKO | 3 (6) | 1992-11-01 | Izegem, Belgium
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| 12 | Win | 8–3–1 |  Vladimir Dyukarev
|
TKO | 1 (6) | 1992-10-02 | Waregem, Belgium
|
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| 11 | Loss | 7–3–1 | John Emmen
|
KO | 10 (10) | 1991-06-24 | Weenahal, Rotterdam, Netherlands
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For BeNeLux Heavyweight title. |
| 10 | Win | 7–2–1 | Ramon Voorn
|
PTS | 10 | 1991-02-18 | Sportcentrum Valkencourt, Valkenswaard, Netherlands
|
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| 9 | Win | 6–2–1 |  Boubakar Sanogo
|
PTS | 8 | 1990-12-25 | Izegem, Belgium
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| 8 | Loss | 5–2–1 |  Norbert Ekassi
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KO | 2 (8) | 1990-10-13 | Ghent, Belgium
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| 7 | Win | 5–1–1 | Ian Bulloch
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TKO | 5 (6) | 1990-05-12 | Waasmunster, Belgium
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| 6 | Win | 4–1–1 | Carl Thompson
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PTS | 6 | 1990-04-21 | Sint-Amandsberg, Belgium
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| 5 | Win | 3–1–1 |  Mohamed Zaoui
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TKO | 3 (6) | 1990-04-07 | Carvin, France
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| 4 | Loss | 2–1–1 | Christophe Girard
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PTS | 8 | 1990-03-16 | Blois, France
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| 3 | Win | 2–0–1 | Serge Bolivard
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PTS | 6 | 1990-02-10 | Roeselare, Belgium
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| 2 | Win | 1–0–1 | Abner Blackstock
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TKO | 4 (6) | 1990-01-12 | Waregem, Belgium
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| 1 | Draw | 0–0–1 | John Held
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PTS | 6 | 1989-12-25 | Izegem, Belgium
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Professional debut |
References edit
- ^ "Crowdfunding has to grant Freddy De Kerpel's former pupil a worthy burial (Google translated into English)". Nieuwsblad. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ^ "Statistics at boxrec.com". boxrec.com. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
- ^ "The life & death of Franco Wanyama: Another proud man who deserved more help than he ever received". The Independent. 8 April 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
External links edit
- Boxing record for Franco Wanyama from BoxRec (registration required)
- Image - Franco Wanyama
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