'WE ARE HEARTBROKEN'
Paul Bamba dead at 35: World champion boxer who was linked with Jake Paul and Tommy Fury dies days after winning title
Bamba broke a record set by Mike Tyson with his win days ago
BOXING world champion Paul Bamba has passed away at the age of 35.
He became cruiserweight champion this year and was linked with fights against Jake Paul and Tommy Fury.
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Bamba became champion by beating Rogelio Medina only last weekend.
In doing so he broke a record set by Mike Tyson for most wins in a calendar year via knockout, with 14.
He held a record of 19-3 over his career.
Bamba was friends with pop star NE-YO and became the first to sign with his management company.
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NE-YO and Bamba's family released a joint statement which read: "It is with profound sorrow that we announced the passing of beloved son, brother, friend and boxing champion Paul Bamba, whose light and love touched countless lives.
"He was a fierce yet confident competitor with an unrelenting ambition to achieve greatness.
"But more than anything he was a tremendous individual that inspired many with his exceptional drive and determination.
"We are heartbroken by his passing and kindly ask for privacy and understanding during this difficult time as we collectively navigate our grief."
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Bamba fought a bout in every month this year with the exception of September, which meant he had more than one fight in some months.
Paul, who was called out by Bamba after his win against Medina, led the tributes.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer tweeted: "RIP Paul Bamba."
One fan wrote: "What??? Absolutely heartbreaking, so out of the blue. RIP Paul."
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Another added: ";Extremely upsetting news, may his soul R.I.P 🕊️"
And a third wrote: "Really heartbreaking and shocking to hear. God rest his soul🙏❤️"
Bamba was supposed to fight Fury in November 2022 but the bout was called off due to a weight disagreement.
After his final win, he challenged Paul to a fight.
He said: "[Jake Paul] you can come get it, you can come fight for it or whatever, you can keep doing the gimmick fights.
"At the end of the day, I've put in the work. You can say you've taken boxing seriously and yeah you've made a lot of money but you haven't earned anything in boxing."
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"If you think about how I started everything versus how everything is going now, I didn't wait for an opportunity I created one.
"And I went out and grabbed it by the horns so to speak and did my thing this year. Look at the facts; 14 fights, 14 KOs in one year, how many belts have I got here?"
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