Robert Wangila
Encyclopedia
Robert Napunyi Wangila was a Kenya
n boxer
who won a welterweight gold medal
at the 1988 Summer Olympic Games. He is still the only Kenyan olympic gold medal winner outside athletics
.
. Wangila had been beaten to such a bad condition that the referee Joe Cortez
stopped the match in favour of Gonzales, despite Wangila's fierce protests. After the match, Wangila lapsed into a coma in his dressing room. He was pronounced dead thirty-six hours later.
Wangila had converted from Christianity
to Islam
while in the United States, and his will requested that he be buried according to the wishes of his Muslim wife. The will was challenged by Wangila's family in Kenya, but a judge ruled in favor of a Muslim burial.
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
n boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
who won a welterweight gold medal
Olympic medalists in boxing
This is the complete list of Olympic medalists in boxing from 1904 to 2008.-Light flyweight:*1968 - : up to 48 kg.-Flyweight:*1904: up to 105 lb *1920-1936: up to 112 lb *1948-1964: up to 51 kg...
at the 1988 Summer Olympic Games. He is still the only Kenyan olympic gold medal winner outside athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
.
Olympic results
- 1st round bye
- Defeated Đorđe Petronijević (Yugoslavia) RSC 2
- Defeated Khaidan Gantulga (Mongolia) TKO 2
- Defeated Khristo Furnigov (Bulgaria) 5-0
- Defeated Jan DydakJan DydakJan Dydak is a former Polish amateur boxer, who won the Welterweight Bronze medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics.-Olympic results:*1st round bye*Defeated José García 4-1...
(Poland) walk-over - Defeated Laurent BoudouaniLaurent BoudouaniLaurent Boudouani is retired professional boxer. He is a former WBA world light middleweight champion and a welterweight silver medal winner at the 1988 Olympics.-Olympic results:*1st round bye...
(France) KO 2
Pro career
Robert Wangila turned to professional boxing in 1989 and compiled a career record of 22-5-0.Death
Wangila died from injuries received in a 1994 fight with David Gonzales in Las VegasLas Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
. Wangila had been beaten to such a bad condition that the referee Joe Cortez
Joe Cortez
Joe Cortez is a Puerto Rican boxing referee who has worked many important world title bouts.-Biography:Cortez moved to Puerto Rico during his childhood. Living there, he became fluent in Spanish. Cortez had a good amateur boxing career, winning various Golden Gloves tournaments from 1960 to 1962...
stopped the match in favour of Gonzales, despite Wangila's fierce protests. After the match, Wangila lapsed into a coma in his dressing room. He was pronounced dead thirty-six hours later.
Wangila had converted from Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
while in the United States, and his will requested that he be buried according to the wishes of his Muslim wife. The will was challenged by Wangila's family in Kenya, but a judge ruled in favor of a Muslim burial.