The former Middlesex University student turned his childhood recollections into the subject of a documentary he made as part of his course.
Jeamie ‘TKV’ Tshikeva, who grew up in Tottenham and holds a degree in Film and TV studies from Middlesex, won the British heavyweight title in December after defeating Fraser Clarke.
He said: “I grew up watching voodoo wrestling. I remember my dad being put in a trance and they were making my dad dance, and the crowd was going crazy.
“And my mum, being a Christian and spiritual woman, grabbed her shoe and threw it into the ring, and it hit my dad on the head and he came out of the trance and won the fight.”
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At university, Jeamie produced a documentary on voodoo wrestling, a popular form of entertainment in the Democratic Republic of Congo that merges wrestling with mystic rituals.
His father Makasi, known as Big Papa T, was a celebrated Congolese wrestler active on London’s UWA circuit in the late 1990s.
Jeamie said: “So, when my lecturers at Middlesex said to make a project about something personal and interesting, I believed I had the most interesting story of everyone.”
David Heinemann, senior lecturer in film production, said: “He not only produced and directed a fascinating major project film with ‘the Story behind Voodoo Wrestling’ but graduated with an upper second-class honours degree.”
Boxing entered Mr Tshikeva’s life unexpectedly in 2012 during a community sports event led by former Tottenham Hotspur footballer Ledley King.
He said: “The coach said ‘you got some ability; you should consider taking this serious because you could make millions in this.’ From then on, I have been addicted to the sport of boxing.”
After graduating, he worked as a youth mentor before turning professional in 2021. Now considering a return to film, Mr Tshikeva said: “It is something I still love and want to get back into making documentaries and perhaps I can do it during my career.”
