The fifth edition of GOtv Boxing NextGen Search (GOtv Boxing NextGen 5) kicks off in Ilorin, capital of Kwara State, on Thursday.
The programme, which ends on Friday, will hold at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Kwara State Stadium Complex.
According to Flykite Productions, organisers of the programme, GOtv NextGen Search aims to discover boxing talents aged between 18 and 25 and who are on the verge of turning professional.
Participating boxers will engage in sparring sessions supervised by prominent boxing coaches, who who will select those considered capable of joining the professional ranks. Selected boxers will have their professional boxing licences and pre-licensing medical examination paid for by the sponsors.
Jenkins Alumona, CEO of Flykite Productions, explained that the programme is one of the ways the sponsors are arresting the decline of the sport, which is marked by a limited pool of professional boxers.
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“We are committed to improving boxing in Nigeria and the aim of the GOtv Boxing NextGen Search is to find a new crop of talented and aspiring boxers. We want to create a system that grooms younger replacements for those who are ageing and support them,” Alumona said.
Since its debut in 2016, GOtv Boxing NextGen Search has produced stars such as Rilwan “Baby Face” Babatunde, current West African Boxing Union (WABU) Champion; Taiwo ‘Esepo’ Agbaje, best boxer at GOtv Boxing Night 19; and Opeyemi “Sense” Adeyemi.
The programme has been widely commended by the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C), Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame, Oyo State Boxing Association, Ogun State Boxing Association and the Kwara State Amateur Boxing Association.
