Ayub Kalule
Encyclopedia
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Ayub Kalule is a retired boxer from Uganda
, who first came to prominence when he won the Amateur World Welterweight
Title at the inaugural 1974 World Championships
in Havana, Cuba. He turned professional and based himself in Denmark
, and went on to win the light-middleweight championship. He subsequently lost the title to Sugar Ray Leonard
.
Born in Kampala
, he began his professional boxing career in 1976 when he won a four round decision over Kurt Hombach in Copenhagen
, Denmark. Kalule would be based out of Denmark for the rest of his career. He then won 29 more victories, achieving 30 wins, 0 losses. Included in those victories were defeats of Alipata Korovou for the Commonwealth
Middleweight
Title and a 10 round decision of former US Gold Medalist Sugar Ray Seales
.
On October 24, 1979, Kalule traveled to Akita
, Japan
to take on Masashi Kudo
for the WBA
Junior middleweight Championship of the world. Kalule easily outboxed the champion and thus captured the coveted world championship belt
. He then successfully defended the title four times before taking on the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard on June 25, 1981 in the Houston Astrodome. A virtual unknown in the United States, Kalule was considered little more than a courier waiting to deliver the belt to Leonard. The fight proved much more difficult for Leonard as Kalule repeately landed straight lefts and fought on an almost even ground for the first five or six rounds. Slowly Leonard started to take control and in the 9th round ended the fight and Kalule's reign as WBA Champion.
Kalule fought on until the beginning of 1986 and managed to win the European Middleweight Title and defend it successfully against future world champion Sumbu Kalambay
. Prior to that, he received another shot at the WBA Jr Middleweight Title held at that time by Davey Moore. Kalule put up a very good fight, but again was KO'd
, this time in the 10th round. Ayub's career ended on February 5, 1986 when he lost the European Middleweight Title to Herol Graham
. He finished his career with a very impressive record of 46-4 with 24 KOs.
Ayub Kalule is a retired boxer from Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, who first came to prominence when he won the Amateur World Welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
Title at the inaugural 1974 World Championships
1974 World Amateur Boxing Championships
The Men's 1974 World Amateur Boxing Championships were held in Havana, Cuba from August 17 to 30. The first edition of this competition, held two years before the Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, was organised by the world governing body for amateur boxing AIBA. A total number of 274 boxers...
in Havana, Cuba. He turned professional and based himself in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, and went on to win the light-middleweight championship. He subsequently lost the title to Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard is an American retired professional boxer and occasional actor. He was named Ray Charles Leonard, after his mother's favorite singer, Ray Charles...
.
Born in Kampala
Kampala
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...
, he began his professional boxing career in 1976 when he won a four round decision over Kurt Hombach in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark. Kalule would be based out of Denmark for the rest of his career. He then won 29 more victories, achieving 30 wins, 0 losses. Included in those victories were defeats of Alipata Korovou for the Commonwealth
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
Middleweight
Middleweight
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...
Title and a 10 round decision of former US Gold Medalist Sugar Ray Seales
Sugar Ray Seales
"Sugar" Ray Seales, was the only American boxer to win a gold medal in the 1972 Summer Olympics.-Personal:...
.
On October 24, 1979, Kalule traveled to Akita
Akita, Akita
is the capital city of Akita Prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan.As of June 11, 2005, with the merger of the former Kawabe District , the city has an estimated population of 323,310 and density of...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
to take on Masashi Kudo
Masashi Kudo
Masashi Kudo is a former professional boxer. He was the WBA light middleweight champion from 1978-1979.- Biography :...
for the WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
Junior middleweight Championship of the world. Kalule easily outboxed the champion and thus captured the coveted world championship belt
Championship belt
A championship belt is a large, extravagantly designed belt used primarily in combat sports such as boxing, mixed martial arts and professional wrestling to signify the champions of the promotion or company, much like a cup or trophy in other sports...
. He then successfully defended the title four times before taking on the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard on June 25, 1981 in the Houston Astrodome. A virtual unknown in the United States, Kalule was considered little more than a courier waiting to deliver the belt to Leonard. The fight proved much more difficult for Leonard as Kalule repeately landed straight lefts and fought on an almost even ground for the first five or six rounds. Slowly Leonard started to take control and in the 9th round ended the fight and Kalule's reign as WBA Champion.
Kalule fought on until the beginning of 1986 and managed to win the European Middleweight Title and defend it successfully against future world champion Sumbu Kalambay
Sumbu Kalambay
Sumbu "Patrizio" Kalambay is a Zaire-Italian former professional boxer who held the WBA middleweight championship. He was born in Zaire, moving to Italy during his youth, which is where he still resides.-Professional career:...
. Prior to that, he received another shot at the WBA Jr Middleweight Title held at that time by Davey Moore. Kalule put up a very good fight, but again was KO'd
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
, this time in the 10th round. Ayub's career ended on February 5, 1986 when he lost the European Middleweight Title to Herol Graham
Herol Graham
Herol 'Bomber' Graham was born in Nottingham, England on 13 September 1959 and is generally acknowledged as one of the best British boxers of the post-war era never to have won a world title....
. He finished his career with a very impressive record of 46-4 with 24 KOs.