Football may be the most popular sport in Nigeria but it was boxing that first placed the country in the world’s sporting map. By the turn of the century, however, boxing was already comatose. Similar to the biblical Jesus’ waking up of Lazarus from the grave, GOtv boxing Night, which berthed in 2014 came up with revival plan the sport has been craving for. The President of the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control, Dr. Rafiu Ladipo, tells Kunle Adewale how GOtv Boxing Night not only woke up boxing from the dead in Nigeria, but has also helped produce African and world champions
Before the berth of GOtv Boxing Night, most Nigerian boxers with national titles were not just too old but rusty as a result of lack of fights, therefore competing for an African title was beyond them.
Today however, the narrative has changed with GOtv Boxing Night. Many Nigerian boxers not only boast of African boxing titles but also have world title belts wrapped around their waists.
“Before 2014 when GOtv Boxing Night debuted, Nigerian boxing was no longer in existence, it had gone down completely. Nigeria which use to be one of the best boxing nations in the world could no longer boast of something positive about boxing, but thank God for GOtv Boxing that came to the rescue. “The situation has now changed positively. Boxing is now bringing back the glory Nigeria had in the past. It was boxing that first put Nigeria’s name on the world sporting map, but unfortunately, the game went down.
“Prior to this time Nigeria had produced great names in boxing such as Dick Tiger, Hogan ‘Kid’ Bassey, Nojeem Maiyegun, Rafiu King, Obisia Nwakpa, Samuel Peters and a host of other great boxers. After then, nothing became of boxing in Nigeria until GOtv came into the boxing scene with GOtv Boxing Night,” President of the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control, Dr. Rafiu Ladipo noted.
In years past, boxing enthusiasts looked forward to boxing fights at the National Stadium, but it was no longer so for many years until GOtv Boxing came on board and now everybody is always looking forward to the GOtv Boxing Night and it has changed the face of boxing in Nigeria tremendously, Nigerian boxers are now rearing to go, because they realise that aside from the excitement, they are also making good money, which is making them to believe in themselves.
Ladipo hailed the Gotv Boxing NextGen search which is an initiative to develop boxers into professionals early in life.
“Before GOtv Boxing NextGen, most of the boxers that were champions in all the weight categories were already old and spent forces. But boxing is a game for the young minds, because by the time you get to 35-38 years you’re already a spent force and cannot do any meaningful boxing again.
“NextGen Boxing search programme has been able to produce young boxer of between 17 to 21 years and with the prospect of becoming world champions, which gives boxing in Nigeria a ray of hope. Today, we have promising young boxers some of whom have become not just champions of Africa but three of them right now are champions of the world in World Boxing Federation. “Boxing NextGen programme is a very good programe that should be supported, it’s a programme that if properly managed would bring back the lost glory of Nigeria boxing. With that kind of a programme if it is religiously followed Nigeria boxing will surely come back,” Kadipo said.
Ladipo commended GOtv for the establishment of the Mojisola Ogunsaya Memorial Gym in Lagos, saying it would go a long way in furthering the development of boxing in the country, while appealing for more corporate organisations to toe the path of GOtv to develop boxing in the country. “We need world class gyms for our boxes and sports men to train and be at par with their counterparts in other parts of the world. With the Mojisola Ogunsanya boxing gym it would keep Nigeria boxers in shape for the battles ahead of them.
On how other cooperate bodies can support boxing in Nigeria, the former boxing promoter said: “We have to take a cue from GOtv. Boxing involves big investments . Investments put into boxing cannot be recouped through gate takings. What is collected at the gate is not enough to make the sponsors and promoters recoup their investments. We expect that cooperate organisations sponsoring and promoting sports should be encouraged by being given tax rebates, because anybody or organisation sponsoring sports is not only developing young talents but also taking miscreants, would-be armed robbers and kidnappers and other vices off the streets and thereby reducing crime in the country. Therefore, government should also give back something to these cooperate bodies sponsoring and promoting sports in the country.”
Asked if he was hopeful that the country could produce elite-level boxers in the nearest future, he said: “We are not just hopeful we are working towards it and I believe Nigeria will soon get to see the elite boxers who will become champions of the world very soon particularly with this programme of GOtv. In the last four years, you can count more than 20 boxing events sponsored by GOtv and promoted by Flykites. These involve huge capital. To stage a GOtv Boxing Night it involves millions of Naira, it is capital intensive. And if it continues, I’m sure Nigeria will soon start to witness elite boxers that will become champions, and I hope other cooperate bodies will join GOtv in driving boxing in Nigeria.”
Ladipo could not just imagine what boxing in Nigeria would have been without GOtv Boxing Night and when the question was thus put to him on what he thinks the state of boxing in Nigeria would have been if GOtv had not come to the scene, he reacted thus: “We would not be talking of boxing any longer. Few other promoters that are promoting boxers in Nigeria are just emulating GOtv. Because if GOtv is not there, there would have been nobody that would want to do promotion. It is what they see of GOtv Boxing Night that is propelling them to want to do one promotion or the other. We should therefore see GOtv as the light. The bottom-line is that if not for GOtv we won’t be talking of boxing in Nigeria today.”
produced great names in boxing such as Dick Tiger, Hogan ‘Kid’ Bassey, Nojeem Maiyegun, Rafiu King, Obisia Nwakpa, Samuel Peters and a host of other great boxers. After then nothing became of boxing in Nigeria until GOtv came into the boxing scene with GOtv Boxing Night,” President of the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control, Dr. Rafiu Ladipo noted.
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In years past, boxing enthusiasts looked forward to boxing fights at the National Stadium, but it was no longer so for many years until GOtv Boxing came on board and now everybody is always looking forward to the GOtv Boxing Night and it has changed the face of boxing in Nigeria tremendously, Nigerian boxers are now rearing to go, because they now realise that aside from the excitement they are also making good money, which is making them to believe in themselves.
Ladipo hailed the Gotv Boxing NextGen search which is an initiative to develop boxers into professionals early in life.
“Before GOtv Boxing NextGen, most of the boxers that were champions in all the weight categories were already old and were spent forces. But boxing is a game for the young minds, because by the time you get to 35-38 years you’re already a spent force and cannot do any meaningful boxing again.
“NextGen Boxing search programme has been able to produce young boxer of between 17 to 21 years and with the prospect of becoming world champions, which gives boxing in Nigeria a ray of hope. Today, we have promising young boxers some of whom have become not just champions of Africa but three of them right now are champions of the world in World Boxing Federation. “Boxing NextGen programme is a very good programe that should be supported, it’s a programme that if properly managed would bring back the lost glory of Nigeria boxing. With that kind of a programme if it is religiously followed Nigeria boxing will surely come back,” Kadipo said.
Ladipo commended GOtv for the establishment of the Mojisola Ogunsaya Memorial Gym in Lagos, saying it would go a long way in furthering the development of boxing in the country, while appealing for more cooperate organisations to toe the path of GOtv to develop boxing in he country. “We need world class gyms for our boxes and sports men to train and be at par with their counterparts in other parts of the world. With the Mojisola Ogunsanya boxing gym it would keep Nigeria boxers in shape for the battles ahead of them.
On how other cooperate bodies can support boxing in Nigeria, the former boxing promoter said: “We have to take a cue from GOtv. Boxing involves big investments . Investments put into boxing cannot be recouped through gate takings. What is collected at the gate is not enough to make the sponsors and promoters recoup their investments. We expect that cooperate organisations sponsoring and promoting sports should be encouraged by being given tax rebates, because anybody or organisation sponsoring sports is not only developing young talents but also taking miscreants, would-be armed robbers and kidnappers and other vices off the streets and thereby reducing crime in the country. Therefore, government should also give back something to these cooperate bodies sponsoring and promoting sports in the country.”
Asked if he is hopeful that the country can produce elite-level boxers in the nearest future, he said: “We are not just hopeful we are working towards it and I believe Nigeria will soon get to see the elite boxers who will become champions of the world very soon particularly with this programme of GOtv. In the last four years, you can count more than 20 boxing events sponsored by GOtv and promoted by Flykites. These involve huge capital. To stage a GOtv Boxing Night it involves millions of Naira, it is capital intensive. And if continues I’m sure Nigeria will soon start to witness elite boxers that will become champions, and I hope other cooperate bodies will join GOtv in driving boxing in Nigeria.”
Ladipo could not just imagine what boxing in Nigeria would have been without GOtv Boxing Night and when the question was thus put to him on what he thinks the state of boxing in Nigeria would have been if GOtv has not come to he scene, he reacted thus: “We would not be talking of boxing any longer. Few other promoters that are promoting boxers in Nigeria are just emulating GOtv. Because if GOtv is not there, there would have been nobody that would want to do promotion. It is what they see of GOtv Boxing Night that is propelling them to want to do one promotion or the other. We should therefore see GOtv as the light. The bottom-line is that if not for GOtv we won’t be talking of boxing in Nigeria today.”
