Ian Napa
Encyclopedia
Ian Napa is a British boxer originally from Zimbabwe
but now living in London. He is the former European bantamweight champion and is a former two time holder of the British bantamweight title.
, who at the time was the British and Commonwealth
flyweight
Champion. The step up in class was too much and Napa lost a points decision. It was not the first time that Napa was to be disappointed when competing for the big prizes, two fights later he found himself competing for the WBU flyweight title losing this time on points to Peter Culshaw.
After that it seemed that every time Napa stepped up in class he would come out on the wrong side of a points defeat. Since the Culshaw loss in June 2001 Napa fought and lost against Marc Callaghan (Southern Area super bantamweight title), Martin Power
(British Bantamweight title), Damaen Kelly
and Simone Maludrottu
(European Bantamweight title).
. The fight took place at the Robin Park Center, Wigan
and ended with a points victory over 12 rounds for Napa. He has defended the title there times against Lee Haskins
, Martin Power
and Colin Moffett. The third defence was voluntary and allowed Napa to pick up the prestigious Lonsdale belt for keeps.
.
to fight for his old British title against St Helens Gary Davies
. Davies had won the vacant belt after it had been vacated by Napa prior to fighting for the European title. The fight on 23 October 2009, resulted in Napa regaining the title with a majority decision. On 22 January 2010, Napa defended the title against Jamie McDonnell
only to lose a split decision verdict to the man from Doncaster. McDonnell would go on to win the European title in his next fight and so chose to vacate the belt. This meant that Napa was able to fight for the vacant British title on 4 June 2010 only to end up retiring at the end of the eighth round against roofer Stuart Hall
, a man contesting only his ninth professional fight. Despite coming on strong in the eighth round and being ahead on all the judges scorecards Napa claimed that the heat in the hall had affected him and that he'd struggled to make the bantamweight limit.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
but now living in London. He is the former European bantamweight champion and is a former two time holder of the British bantamweight title.
Early professional career
Napa's early career started brightly enough when he won his first eight bouts in a row. That run was to end in November 2000, when he fought Jason BoothJason Booth
Jason Booth is a British professional boxer who has competed in the flyweight, super flyweight, bantamweight and super bantamweight divisions. He is the current holder of the British and Commonwealth super bantamweight championships...
, who at the time was the British and Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
flyweight
Flyweight
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing less than 112 lb but above 108 lb .-Professional boxing:...
Champion. The step up in class was too much and Napa lost a points decision. It was not the first time that Napa was to be disappointed when competing for the big prizes, two fights later he found himself competing for the WBU flyweight title losing this time on points to Peter Culshaw.
After that it seemed that every time Napa stepped up in class he would come out on the wrong side of a points defeat. Since the Culshaw loss in June 2001 Napa fought and lost against Marc Callaghan (Southern Area super bantamweight title), Martin Power
Martin Power
Martin Power is an English professional boxer who fights in the bantamweight division. He is a former British champion and has twice competed for the Commonwealth title.-Early Professional Career:...
(British Bantamweight title), Damaen Kelly
Damaen Kelly
Damaen Kelly is a former professional boxer from Belfast, Northern Ireland, who represented the Republic of Ireland at international level. Kelly fought his final professional fights in the Bantamweight division but was more noted for boxing in the Flyweight division...
and Simone Maludrottu
Simone Maludrottu
Simone Maludrottu is a professional boxer from Olbia, Sardinia, Italy. Maludrottu fights in the Bantamweight division and in the current European title holder.-Debut:...
(European Bantamweight title).
The British title and the Lonsdale belt
Napa won the British title in July 2006, when he boxed a return against former conqueror Jason BoothJason Booth
Jason Booth is a British professional boxer who has competed in the flyweight, super flyweight, bantamweight and super bantamweight divisions. He is the current holder of the British and Commonwealth super bantamweight championships...
. The fight took place at the Robin Park Center, Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
and ended with a points victory over 12 rounds for Napa. He has defended the title there times against Lee Haskins
Lee Haskins
Lee Haskins is a British professional boxer from Bristol in England who has fought in the Flyweight, Super Flyweight and Bantamweight divisions...
, Martin Power
Martin Power
Martin Power is an English professional boxer who fights in the bantamweight division. He is a former British champion and has twice competed for the Commonwealth title.-Early Professional Career:...
and Colin Moffett. The third defence was voluntary and allowed Napa to pick up the prestigious Lonsdale belt for keeps.
European champion
Having proved himself at domestic level, Napa set his sights at another shot for the European belt against reigning champion Carmelo Ballone. Speaking before the fight Napa said "This is my second chance with home advantage for the Euro crown and I'll get it right. I've seen a couple tapes of Ballone and I think I'm too slick...Losing is something I cannot think about. There are some good British fighters, but I now believe I am above domestic level." Napa was as good as his word winning in October 2008, a majority decision verdict over the Belgian after coming on strong in the latter part of the fight and putting Ballone down in the 10th round. Speaking after the fight Napa said "I've put so much hard work in and I thank my team for this victory...I deserve this, all my hard work has finally paid off. Words cannot explain how I feel." Unfortunately for Napa his hold on the title was to prove short lived when in March 2009 he lost a unanimous decision in his first defence against Frenchman Malik BouzianeMalik Bouziane
-Career:Bouziane participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics for his native North African country. There, he was stopped in the second round of the bantamweight division by Russia's Gennady Kovalev....
.
Two time British champion
Napa returned immediately to championship action in his next fight, travelling to LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
to fight for his old British title against St Helens Gary Davies
Gary Davies (boxer)
Gary Davies is a professional British bantamweight boxer. He is a former holder of the BBBofC British bantamweight title.-Early professional career:...
. Davies had won the vacant belt after it had been vacated by Napa prior to fighting for the European title. The fight on 23 October 2009, resulted in Napa regaining the title with a majority decision. On 22 January 2010, Napa defended the title against Jamie McDonnell
Jamie McDonnell
Jamie McDonnell is an English boxer who currently fights in the Bantamweight division. He is the current holder of the Commonwealth, European, and British bantamweight titles.-Professional Career:...
only to lose a split decision verdict to the man from Doncaster. McDonnell would go on to win the European title in his next fight and so chose to vacate the belt. This meant that Napa was able to fight for the vacant British title on 4 June 2010 only to end up retiring at the end of the eighth round against roofer Stuart Hall
Stuart Hall (boxer)
Stuart Hall is an undefeated professional British bantamweight boxer from Darlington, England. He is the current holder of the BBBofC British bantamweight title having won the belt after only nine professional fights, he has since made three successful defences.-Early professional career:Hall made...
, a man contesting only his ninth professional fight. Despite coming on strong in the eighth round and being ahead on all the judges scorecards Napa claimed that the heat in the hall had affected him and that he'd struggled to make the bantamweight limit.