Dorchester boxer earns Pan American gold, eyes 2028 Olympics

Gilbert “Tonka” Kabamba has won three national titles, a record that places him at the top of the super heavyweight division according to Bobby Russo, the national Golden Gloves president. Russo stated that winning national titles puts a boxer at the peak of the sport and that the time is right for Kabamba to gain more experience.

The 25-year-old Dorchester resident won a gold medal at the Pan American Championships in Mexico last month. It was his first competition without headgear. He had an opening round bye and defeated opponents from Cuba, Brazil, and Colombia.

Kabamba is aiming for a spot on the US Olympic squad for the 2028 games in Los Angeles. He noted that 2027 will be the qualifier year and that he needs to stay focused to secure his place. He has not heard of boxing until 2021, when a stranger on Carson Beach introduced him to the sport. He was previously a football player at Everett High School and Merrimack College.

Mark DeLuca, his head coach at Waymaker Boxing on Freeport Street, described Kabamba as having raw talent and high athletic ability. DeLuca compared Kabamba to Evander Holyfield, noting that the Dorchester boxer is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 250 pounds. DeLuca said he is a pocket fighter with fast hands and that he has only reached 50 percent of his potential.

Kabamba arrived in the United States in 2013 at age 12 after spending seven years in a refugee camp in Uganda. He originally came from the Democratic Republic of Congo. His brother, Patrick Mayombo, introduced him to basketball, and a football coach at Everett High School recruited him as a linebacker. Kabamba helped lead Everett to two Division 1 State Championships before his football scholarship was revoked due to academic issues during the pandemic.

He returned to Dorchester in 2021 and began training at the gym formerly known as Grealish Boxing. He won the New England Golden Gloves in 2022, 2023, and 2024, as well as the National Golden Gloves in 2024. He also won the International USA Open in 2025 and the Copa America tournament in Colombia earlier this year.

Kabamba was selected to travel to Hungary for two bouts on Nov. 14. He will fly to Colorado Springs this week to prepare at the Team USA gym. He trains twice daily at Waymaker Boxing in Dorchester.