Kenyan boxer Robert Wangila won many Kenyans’ hearts when as a 20-year-old won Kenya’s first and only, to this day, non-track Olympic gold medal in 1988.
Wangila, who was a welterweight boxer was top of his game at a young age and decided to turn pro in the United States of America, where he was nicknamed Kidd.
When he participated at the Olympics, Wangila was a heavy hitter but found the going tough as a pro, where he was knocked out four times.
He almost retired in 1990 but soldiered on. In 1994, he faced an opponent called David Gonzales at the Aladdin Hotel in Nevada.
Gonzales was a hard pounder too, focusing on the arms, chest, and head. When the fight was awarded to Gonzales, Wangila protested.
He was okay for the first 45 minutes after the match but then he collapsed and fell into a coma. He died 2 days later.
Some of his family members think he died as a result of injuries sustained in earlier fights, and not necessarily the fight against Gonzalez.
Others felt he should have retired when he had the chance to, in 1990, but it was all late and the man was already gone.
One of his promoters said ‘but the guy who killed Robert Wangila is Robert Wangila,’
#historynow