Bamba was born in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, on 15 August 1989.[8] Paul's hobbies include skydiving and reading, and his dream is to positively impact less privileged communities and help raise a generation of successful people who came from disadvantaged positions. Paul ran a successful fitness business training clients of every age and is bringing fitness programs to people around the world. His hard work has helped raise over $250k for causes like sending 100 children to summer camp and providing over 500 turkeys to families in need during Thanksgiving. His journey into professional boxing began in his early 30s—a rare and impressive feat in the sport. Standing 6 feet 1 inch tall, his athleticism and discipline allowed him to transition from a fitness trainer to a professional athlete successfully.[9]
Career
On 4 October 2022, it was announced that Bamba would face British boxer Tommy Fury as the co-feature bout to Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Deji at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.[10] However, during the weigh-in on 12 November, he weighed in at 176.6 Ibs while Fury weighed in at 181.4 Ibs. Both fighters stated that they made the weight that was stated in their contract.[11] Bamba refused to fight, and on 13 November, the day of the fight, he was replaced by Cameroon boxer Rolly Lambert to fight Fury.[12]
In November 2024, having achieved a record of 18 wins and 3 losses with 17 knockouts in a span of a year and half since his last loss, with 13 straight wins since January 2024 winning all by knockouts, Bamba was the first fighter signed to American entertainer Ne-Yo's sports management company. Prior to that Bamba had already captured the WBA-NABA cruiserweight title, WBA Fedecaribe and Fedecentro titles. [13] Bamba first met Ne-Yo as his trainer, teaching him boxing as part of Ne-Yo's workout routine.[14]
In 2024, Bamba broke Mike Tyson's record for most boxing wins in a calendar year via knockout, with 14 KOs throughout the year after knocking out Rogelio Medina Luna,[15] earning him the WBA Gold Cruiserweight title.
Death
Bamba died on 27 December 2024, at the age of 35.[15][16]
It was reported that he made brain damage admission weeks before death. Some time ago in a post uploaded to X, a fan was quick to take a swipe at Bamba in a now delete post saying: "Least he had the balls to fight AT. You got slapped by him and he gave you ‘brain damage’ lol. Clearly left enraged by the post, Bamba was quick to issue his own response as he replied: "Nah fighting Avila with a concussion and losing 22lbs in 3 days gave me slight brain damage. Which was a bit scary and I had to take 8months off so it’s not a joking matter." In a later tweet he claimed he wasn’t able to speak about it till Misfits Boxing decided to.[17]
