President of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C), Dr. Rauf Ladipo and Secretary-General of the boxing body, Remi Aboderin, have commended the sponsors of GOtv Boxing Night for their plan to stage the World Boxing Federation (WBF) Intercontinental heavyweight title bout in Lagos.
The high-profile match, which will see Nigeria’s Onos “Godzilla” Ehwariemi take on Argentina’s Ariel “Chiquito” Baracamonte, is the headline encounter of the nine-bout show holding on 28 December at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos.
Speaking over the weekend, Ladipo described the WBF bout as an indication of progress Nigerian Boxing has made. “The WBF is a prestigious world boxing body. That a WBF title bout is holding in Nigeria is a clear indication of the progress the sport has made.
“Huge credit should go to GOtv, which has provided enormous support for boxing over the last five years, and, of course, Mr. Adewunmi Ogunsanya, Chairman, MultiChoice Nigeria, for making this a reality,” said Ladipo.
Aboderin, the body’s Secretary-General, is of the same persuasion. He stated that the WBF title bout is the biggest bout to be staged in Nigeria in decades, adding that it is a big plus for Nigerian boxing and the country itself.
“We have not had such a high profile fight in Nigeria for a while. The NBB of C is really happy with the support for the sport by GOtv, whose intervention since 2014, has given boxing a lifeline,” Aboderin said.
Aboderin, who is also President of the West African Boxing Union (WABU), called on other corporate organizations to emulate GOtv, which he said has demonstrated commitment to youth development via boxing.
GOtv Boxing Night 20 will feature three other title fights. The are the West African Boxing Union (WABU) lightweight title bout between the defending champion, Rilwan “Real One” Oladosu of Nigeria and Ezekiel Anan; WABU welterweight bout between the reigning champion, Nigeria’s Rilwan “Baby Face” Babatunde and Ghana’s Sanitor Agbenyo; and a national bantamweight title bout between Sadiq Adeleke and Opeyemi “Sense” Adeyemi.
Other bouts include a national featherweight challenge clash between Taiwo “Esepo” Agbaje and Olusegun Moses; a national super featherweight contest between Ridwan “Scorpion” Oyekola and Sikiru “Omo Iya Eleja” Shogbesan; and a national light heavyweight fight between the reigning national champion, Adewale “Masevex” Masebinu, and Olanrewaju Segun.
Alaba “Eylbow” Omotola will square up against Bolaji “fight to Finish” Abdullahi in a national lightweight challenge, while Cynthia “Boby Girl” Ogunsemilore will face Aminat Yekini in an all-female bout.
The event will also feature live musical performances from rave-of-the-moment, Zlatan; Mayorkun and Oritsefemi.
