Photo: @lucidvidz_official, via @debee.crush. Portrait supplied by the academy; background and lighting edited with AI. Original photograph
Deborah “Debee Crush” Melhorn is preparing for a DRC appearance with Danyo Ilunga. Champions Academy says she will represent the academy in Kolwezi.
From Waldbröl to Kolwezi
Deborah Melhorn, known as Debee Crush, has a Congolese date ahead. The Instagram story supplied to the editorial team places her on the poster for the gala announced for Friday, 25 September 2026. Champions Academy confirms that she will represent the academy, with her preparation personally supervised by Danyo Ilunga.
For the community at Champions Academy in Kinshasa, the trip connects daily training with international competition. Its sporting significance will be decided in the ring; a promotional poster cannot tell that story in advance.
A coaching partnership built over time
Their working relationship predates this event. The city of Waldbröl reports that Melhorn moved there in April 2025 to train more regularly with Ilunga. The city also describes her as a qualified physiotherapist with experience across several combat sports.
Known as “Dibuba”, Ilunga brings a background in international kickboxing. His official GLORY profile records his career in the light heavyweight division. At Champions Academy, that experience informs a wider ambition: passing knowledge from international rings to the training floor.
Debee Crush across different disciplines
The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reported her professional boxing victory over Nisa Rodriguez in New York in May 2025, followed by a K1 win over Lilly Wendel in Oberhausen.
Deborah Melhorn’s BKFC profile also lists appearances in Marbella in 2024 and Budva in 2025. Those bare-knuckle contests belong to her sporting background; they do not establish the rules for her forthcoming Kolwezi bout.
Junior Makabu–Irakli Alanidze leads the announced card
In its 7 September report, Eventsrdc names Junior Ilunga Makabu and Georgia’s Irakli Alanidze as the main-event opponents, with the WBC Africa belt at stake. The outlet reports a programme of six professional contests.
Makabu has a significant place in Congolese boxing history. The WBC documented his 2020 world-title victory over Michał Cieślak and his 2025 WBC Africa defence against Dodzi Kemeh. The continental title announced for Kolwezi should therefore be distinguished from his former world championship.
Fifi Masuka and the Lualaba government
Fifi Masuka Saini appears on the promotional material as governor of Lualaba, a role confirmed by the DRC Ministry of National Economy. Eventsrdc reports provincial-government support for the gala. Her involvement is institutional.
The poster also states that the event is under the high patronage of Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo. Congolese reporting attributes the event announcement to Congolese Boxing Federation president Ferdinand Ilunga Luyoyo.
What supporters need to know
The supplied poster announces Kolwezi, Friday, 25 September 2026, and free admission. At publication, Debee Crush’s opponent, weight division, scheduled rounds, bout time and exact venue remain unconfirmed. A complete, verified undercard was not available to the editorial team.
Follow Debee Crush’s official Instagram and the academy’s news for further announcements. Readers interested in training can also explore boxing classes in Kinshasa.
This article draws on the public sources linked above, the story and poster supplied to the editorial team, and Champions Academy’s information about its representative and her coach. Programme details refer to an announced event.