The José Sulaimán Fund bids a heartfelt farewell to Lubumba Estaba

A few days ago, Luis Alberto “Lumumba” Estaba, one of the most accomplished Venezuelan boxers, passed away.

He was born in Güiria, in the state of Sucre. His nickname comes from the physical resemblance that the Venezuelan boxer had to the Congolese anti-colonialist and nationalist leader, Patrice Lumumba. The aforementioned Congolese later served as Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo after achieving its independence from Belgium in 1960.

Lumumba Estaba was the sixth Venezuelan to win a world title and was the World Boxing Council’s light flyweight belt. This achievement was in 1975 and he reigned at the top of world boxing in his category during 1976 and 1977, successfully defending his crown on 11 occasions.

During this spell, he defeated great rivals Takenobu Shimabukuro from Japan, Mexicans Leo Palacios and Juan Álvarez on two occasions, Italian Franco Udella, and Argentine Rodolfo Rodríguez, among others.
Lubumba was one of the beneficiaries of the José Sulaimán Fund, as he needed medical attention and care.

The José Sulaimán Fund was established in 2012 when Jean Claude Biver and Ricardo Guadalupe of Hublot joined the initiative of Don José Sulaimán, managing to raise a significant amount in an auction of luxury Hublot watches, unique time pieces inspired by the greatest legendary champions.

With the amount raised, the operation of the fund began with the support of the Nevada Community Foundation (NCF), an independent non-profit organization that administers the Fund and coordinates the payments of eligible people.

In 2014, the WBC and Fundación Ring Telmex-Telcel reached an agreement to provide financial support to the Fund, with the invaluable help of Carlos Slim.

In 2019, another Hublot/WBC Gala Dinner was held to raise funds, with stars Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Tommy Hearns, George Foreman, Vitali Klitschko, Oscar De La Hoya, Jeff Fenech, Bernard Hopkins, Hozumi Hasegawa and Lou Shiming in attendance.

For more than 12 years, the José Sulaimán Fund has provided over $2 million dollars in support to fighters and former fighters from Nicaragua, Argentina, Thailand, China, Venezuela, Colombia, the United States, Mexico and many other countries.

The José Sulaimán Fund bids a fond farewell to our beloved champion Lumumba Estaba, with the satisfaction of having been in his corner since 2020 until the moment of his departure.