By Chrisleen Herard,
Special to the AFRO
Anwar “The Silent Assassin” Wingate stood at 160 pounds in a Baltimore boxing ring against Malik Chapman on Sept. 30 for what would be his last fight and second knockout victory in his short-lived pro boxing career. The next match was scheduled in just a few weeks, however, on Nov. 20, Anwar was found with a fatal gunshot wound in a parking garage in Northwest, D.C.
“We are truly saddened to hear of the loss of our guy Anwar Wingate (AJ),” Lucius Peterson, wrote in a Facebook post. “He was such a humble young man with a bright future and always showed genuine love to everyone. We send our condolences and prayers to his family and friends. Rest in peace, young king, you will truly be missed.”
When Anwar was 12 years old, he got into many fights that resulted in his father, Rafael Wingate, introducing him to a pair of latex rubber gloves and a boxing ring. Though Anwar was initially resistant, eventually, at 17, he had his first amateur fight, which was the start of his amateur career that concluded with 40 wins and 10 losses.
“AJ was a promising, undefeated pro, smart, handsome and all-around great young man,” USA and professional boxing trainer Bruce Babashan wrote. “He had a bright future ahead.”
In 2021, Anwar’s career showed more promise after he fought on the Elite Male’s USA Boxing Team and, despite the doubt of others, defeated Antonio Garcia, the number one seed in the 2020 USA Boxing National Championships. In the following year, Anwar competed in the 2022 US Eastern Elite Qualifier and was on his way to his pro debut when he suffered a gunshot wound to his leg.
“You know, it takes a long time for somebody to get pro debut, (but) I got it,” Anwar said in an interview with Peterson. “It really got to me. I felt happy. I’m not going to lie. I felt proud of myself that I had the strength to move past the bullet wound and keep working and keep working and grinding to get to where I needed to be. I’m proud of myself.”
But his career ended, along with his life, during the early hours of Nov. 20. around 3:00 a.m., officers from the Third District Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) were responding to a report of an unconscious man lying inside a parking garage in the 2100 block of Eighth Street NW.
When they arrived at the garage, authorities found the 24-year-old athlete suffering from a gunshot wound before he succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
“Completely broken-hearted over the senseless loss of a young man that I had a ton of love and respect for,” Jamaal Brown, a U.S.A. boxing coach, wrote. “This senseless violence must stop, and the only way to stop it is to come together as a community and show our young people a better way.”
While he was alive, Anwar voiced gratitude to his father for his triumphant return to boxing. Ultimately, in an attempt to escape the fates of murder or jail, Anwar wanted to avoid following his cousin’s footsteps in the streets and revive his passion for being in the ring.
“When [my cousin] died, I was still on crutches,” Anwar said. “My father, he told me, ‘If you want to quit, quit. But if you want to get in this ring, I’m here for you.”
“I didn’t want to be like my cousin. I didn’t want to be dead or in jail,” Anwar said. “So I took the way that I (thought) was going to get me off these streets (and) out of a bad outcome.”
Up until his death, Anwar’s father and coach, Rafael, was able to witness Anwar’s growth both as a man and as a boxer as he fought his way from amateur to professional. In his last few games, from just behind the ropes, his father continued to advise him on his next moves in the ring, which helped lead him to victory after victory. Despite being in a wheelchair, “he knew what he was talking about,” Anwar said regarding his father, and he vowed to fight alongside him until, and long after, he won his first championship belt.
“I’ve been in a lot of tough fights. I’ve been in a lot of tough spawns,” Anwar said. “I went through it all. I’ve been in them wars, them real wars. I got my ass beat a lot of times to get to where I needed to be, you know, and I appreciate all the ass whoppings because that made me the man I am today.”
In efforts to find the suspects involved in Anwar’s death, the MPD is offering a reward of up to $25,000 and urging the public to contact authorities with information that leads to the suspect’s arrest at 202-727-9099 or utilize the department’s tip line by sending a message to 50411 to remain anonymous.
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