President of the West African Boxing Union (WABU), Mr. Remi Aboderin, has stated that the talent hunt programme, GOtv Boxing NextGen Search, is reviving the sport in Nigeria.
According to Aboderin, who is also the Secretary-General of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C), the revival is coming through the discovery of young and talented boxers, who are then nurtured and provided opportunities to fight at different editions of GOtv Boxing Night. Boxers discovered through the programme, he added, also have their professional licences paid for by the sponsors and benefit from a health check equally paid for by GOtv.
“GOtv Boxing NextGen Search has helped unearth some of the best boxers Nigeria currently has. The first three editions produced good boxers, some of whom are now national and sub-regional champions within such a short time. What they are doing is to further help in the development. We cannot but give kudos to the GOtv management for their interest in the development of professional boxing”, he said.
The WABU President said the NBB of C, of which he is the scribe, will continue to support the programme, as it is convinced that Nigerian boxing will be made great again through GOtv Boxing NextGen Search.
“The truth is Nigeria professional boxing has never had it so good. GOtv Next Gen Search and the GOtv management have done very well for professional boxing in Nigeria. The first one brought out a crop of good boxers and they are still doing very well in the Nigerian professional boxing sphere”.
“Since it started, it has actually improved the quality of our boxers. We are hoping for more improvement but so far so good, it’s not just a pass mark for them, they have done excellently. We at the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control appreciate this gesture and we are 100 percent in support of it every time and anytime.”
GOtv Boxing NextGen Search 4 will hold at the Dunkin Pepper Gym inside the MKO International Stadium Complex, Abeokuta between September 13 and 15. The programme, organised by Flykite Productions, will see boxers aged between 18 and 25years take part in sparring sessions and assessed by the best boxing coaches.
The boxers who are adjudged to be best will be selected by the coaches. Boxers selected will have their licences paid for by the sponsors, undergo free medical examination and may have the opportunity of fighting in coming editions of GOtv Boxing Night.
The programme, which began in 2015, is currently in its fourth edition. Each edition drew 100 boxers, out of which an average of 25 were selected.
The programme has propelled several boxers into the limelight, including reigning West African welterweight champion, Rilwan “Baby Face” Babatunde, Ridwan “Scorpion” Oyekola, Prince “Lion” Nwoye, Chukwuebuka “Wize King” Ezewudo and Osamudiamen “Chiso” Goodluck
