Ekoli Mahenge Zulu (November 21, 1965 – August 27, 2019) was an African-born, Italian boxer. He competed in the welterweight category. Biography Mahenge Zulu was born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. He grew up in Pesaro, in the region of Marche, in Italy. He started boxing at the age of 15 and made his professional debut at 25, later than most boxers. In 1996 he won the IBF Intercontinental welterweight title. He retired after his loss against Félix Trinidad in a 1998 fight for the IBF welterweight title at the age of 33, ending his boxing career with a record of 17 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw. He died of a heart attack on August 27, 2019 while on a flight to Zaire. He had suffered some heart and blood pressure issues days before and was warned by his doctor to not fly. Zulu was married to Emilia Bonse, who died in 2016. They have four daughters. Professional Boxing Record External links https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/7584 References 1965 births 2019 deaths Democratic Republic of the Congo emigrants to Italy Italian male boxers Italian sportspeople of African descent People from Pesaro Sportspeople from Kinshasa Sportspeople from the Province of Pesaro and Urbino Welterweight boxers