Zack Mwekassa
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Zack Mwekassa (born 20 January 1984) is a Congolese-French boxer and kickboxer who fights in GLORY. He is a former Interim Glory Light Heavyweight Champion.
As of 1 October 2017, he is ranked the #4 light-heavyweight in the world by CombatPress.com.
Biography
Mwekassa is the son of a chemist and his two brothers are lawyers. In addition to his fighting career, he is trained as a computer network engineer. He and his family were displaced from their native DR Congo during the Second Congo War that began in 1998. He moved to Paris in France with his family where he holds French citizenship.
Career
Boxing
Mwekassa began his professional boxing career at the age of 22 in 2006 in South Africa. In the first 2 years of his career, he amassed an undefeated streak of 8-0 with all but one of the wins coming by way of TKO or KO. He experienced his first losses back-to-back in 2008 and 2009, before going on another 5-0 undefeated streak...
Kickboxing
Mwekassa began training in South Africa in 2003 with elite kickboxers, including the late Mike Bernardo. His trainers intended him for the K-1 circuit but the opportunities were scarce, so he moved into professional boxing in 2006.
In 2014, Mwekassa resurrected his interest in kickboxing. He saw GLORY on television and approached the company about fighting for them. He soon found himself scheduled to face popular MMA and kickboxing fighter Pat Barry at Glory 16: Denver. In what many considered a shocking upset, he knocked out Barry with an incredible uppercut in the first round.
Mwekassa returned to the Glory ring on November 7, 2014 at Glory 18: Oklahoma. He was part of a four-man, one-night tournament to decide the next Light Heavyweight title contender. Mwekassa started in impressive fashion as he knocked out Brian Collette in the semifinals. In the finals, he faced Saulo Cavalari. After a competitive back-and-forth two rounds, Mwekassa lost in the third round due to a head kick.
Mwekassa had a rematch with Cavalari for the vacant Glory Light Heavyweight Championship at Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1 on September 19, 2015. He lost the fight via majority decision.
He fought Mourad Bouzidi for the interim Glory Light Heavyweight title. He defeated Bouzidi by a first round TKO. Mwekassa fought the reigning Glory champion Artem Vakhitov during Glory 35, losing by TKO in the third round.
Titles
- WBF International Cruiserweight Title
- ABU all Africa heavyweight title
- Interim Glory Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Professional boxing record
| 19 fights | 15 wins | 4 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 14 | 3 |
| By decision | 0 | 1 |
| By disqualification | 1 | 0 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Win | 15–4 | Kenya Bernard Adie | TKO | 7 (12) | 28 Jun 2014 | Democratic Republic of the Congo Grand Hôtel, Kinshasa, D.R. Congo | Won vacant African heavyweight title |
| 18 | Loss | 14–4 | Russia Dmitry Kudryashov | KO | 1 (10), 0:50 | 30 Nov 2013 | Russia Triumph, Lyubertsy, Russia | |
| 17 | Win | 14–3 | Democratic Republic of the Congo Mugabon Mudimba | KO | 5 (6) | 31 May 2013 | South Africa Southern Sun, Cape Town, South Africa | |
| 16 | Loss | 13–3 | South Africa Danie Venter | TKO | 4 (10), 2:23 | 22 Sep 2012 | South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa | Super 8 "Last Man Standing" Tournament: cruiserweight semi-final |
| 15 | Win | 13–2 | South Africa Tshepang Mohale | TKO | 1 (8), 1:21 | 16 Jun 2012 | South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa | Super 8 "Last Man Standing" Tournament: cruiserweight quarter-final |
| 14 | Win | 12–2 | Democratic Republic of the Congo Kizito Ruhamnye | KO | 1 (8), 2:59 | 23 Nov 2011 | South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa | |
| 13 | Win | 11–2 | South Africa Thabiso Mchunu | TKO | 6 (8), 1:45 | 24 Sep 2011 | South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa | |
| 12 | Win | 10–2 | Democratic Republic of the Congo Alex Mbaya | TKO | 1 (6) | 10 May 2011 | South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa | |
| 11 | Win | 9–2 | Ghana Epiphanie Pipi | RTD | 3 (8), 3:00 | 1 Mar 2011 | South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa | |
| 10 | Loss | 8–2 | United States Paul Jennette | SD | 8 | 10 Oct 2009 | United States Coliseum Complex Events Center, Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. | For UBC Intercontinental cruiserweight title |
| 9 | Loss | 8–1 | Hungary József Nagy | TKO | 6 (12), 1:55 | 5 Sep 2008 | South Africa Graceland Hotel Casino, Secunda, South Africa | For vacant WBF (Foundation) cruiserweight title |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Brazil Luzimar Gonzaga | KO | 1 (10), 2:46 | 1 Feb 2008 | South Africa Graceland Hotel Casino, Secunda, South Africa | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Zimbabwe Chamunorwa Gonorenda | TKO | 2 (6) | 2 Nov 2007 | South Africa Indoor Sports Centre, KwaMashu, South Africa | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Republic of the Congo Gino Betoko | RTD | 2 (12) | 6 Jul 2007 | South Africa Carousel Casino, Hammanskraal, South Africa | Won vacant WBF (Foundation) Intercontinental cruiserweight title |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Ghana Moyoyo Mensah | TKO | 3 (6) | 11 May 2007 | South Africa Sasol Recreation Centre, Secunda, South Africa | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Democratic Republic of the Congo Nsitu Mbaya | KO | 1 (6) | 16 Mar 2007 | South Africa Civic Hall, Benoni, South Africa | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | South Africa Basil Ray | TKO | 2 (4) | 27 October 2006 | South Africa Wembley Indoor Arena, Johannesburg, South Africa | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | South Africa Mark Strydom | DQ | 1 (?) | 5 Sep 2006 | South Africa Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, South Africa | Deliberate head-butt |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | South Africa Bully Muravha | KO | 3 (4), 1:22 | 12 May 2006 | South Africa Sasol Sports Arena, Secunda, South Africa |
Kickboxing record (Incomplete)
| Date | Result | Opponent | Event | Location | Method | Round | Time | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Wins (13 (T)KO's, 1 Decision), 4 Losses, 0 Draws | ||||||||
| 2016-11-05 | Loss | Russia Artem Vakhitov | Glory 35: Nice | Nice, France | TKO (3 knockdowns) | 2 | 2:23 | 15–4–0 |
| For the unified Glory Light Heavyweight Championship. | ||||||||
| 2016-06-25 | Win | Tunisia Mourad Bouzidi | Glory 31: Amsterdam | Amsterdam, Netherlands | TKO (3 knockdowns) | 1 | 1:47 | 15–3–0 |
| Wins the interim Glory Light Heavyweight Championship. | ||||||||
| 2016-04-16 | Win | France Zinedine Hameur-Lain | Glory 29: Copenhagen | Copenhagen, Denmark | Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 | 14–3–0 |
| 2015-09-19 | Loss | Brazil Saulo Cavalari | Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1 | San Jose, California, USA | Decision (majority) | 5 | 3:00 | 13–3–0 |
| For the vacant Glory Light Heavyweight Championship. | ||||||||
| 2015-06-05 | Win | United States Carlos Brooks | Glory 22: Lille | Lille, France | KO (left hook) | 1 | 1:58 | 13–2–0 |
| 2014-11-07 | Loss | Brazil Saulo Cavalari | Glory 18: Oklahoma, Final | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA | KO (high kick) | 3 | 0:20 | 12–2–0 |
| For the Glory Light Heavyweight Contender Tournament. | ||||||||
| 2014-11-07 | Win | United States Brian Collette | Glory 18: Oklahoma, Semi Finals | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA | KO (left hook) | 2 | 0:45 | 12–1–0 |
| 2014-05-03 | Win | United States Pat Barry | Glory 16: Denver, Reserve Match | Broomfield, Colorado, USA | KO (left uppercut) | 1 | 2:33 | 11–1–0 |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest Notes |
See also
External links
- at GLORY
- at BoxRec
- Michael Stets (2014-05-02) Volcanoes, snake bites and gun shot and gunshot wounds: