Opeyemi, Friday Steal Spotlight at LBHF Boxing Series

Ibrahim Opeyemi and Kingsley Friday produced commanding performances at this month’s Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame (LBHF) tournament, forcing referee stoppages in their respective bouts at Agege Stadium over the weekend.

The one-day event featured eight competitive bouts and two exhibition matches, but it was the emphatic victories of Opeyemi and Friday that stood out. In the men’s 60kg category, Opeyemi outpunched Ajisola Habeeb so decisively that the referee had to intervene. 

Friday followed suit in the men’s 75kg, overwhelming Lekan Kolawole to bring an early end to their contest.

Speaking after his win, a delighted Opeyemi credited his success to hard work and the support of his coaches and fans:

“I thank God for winning my fight and secondly my fans for their support. I also thank my coaches—Segun Body of Lagos State Boxing Association, Waliu Arogundade from Ogun State, and Sulaiman Olagbade. I trained very hard for this fight. The LBHF gave us a great opportunity to showcase our talent, and I’m really happy to be part of it. My ambition is to become a professional boxer, and opportunities like this help me to show what I can do.”

The women’s division also delivered thrilling action. In the 48kg category, Nura Sulaimon defeated Mariam Tijani 5–0, while Oyindamola Agboola overcame Sofiat Yakub 4–1 to claim the 51kg crown.

Other results included:Men’s 50kg: Akeem Salisu (Ajegunle) beat Mujeeb Olasunkanmi (Ikorodu) 4–1; Men’s 55kg: Kalid Akeem (Oshodi) defeated Saliasu Hamzat (Ikorodu) 5–0; Men’s 65kg: Samodu Alabede (Alimosho) floored Ishola Azeez (Mushin) 5–0 and Men’s 70kg: Fasasi Faesol (Ojo) outpunched Ibrahim Kazeem (Ikorodu) 4–1

Founded in 2010 by Minister of Finance Wale Edun, the LBHF is Nigeria’s longest-running amateur boxing series, backed by the Lagos State Amateur Boxing Association. The non-profit organization has nurtured numerous talents, hosted prestigious tournaments such as the annual Governor’s Belt Championship, and produced notable fighters including Taiwo “Esepo” Agbaje, the WBF Intercontinental champion.

LBHF Director David Mohamed praised the boxers for their discipline and performances, expressing optimism that more world-class fighters will emerge from the monthly series.