I Wish We Had GOtv Boxing Night In My Days-Okorodudu

Former Olympian, Jerry Okorodudu, has expressed regret that an initiative like the GOtv Boxing Night was unavailable in his days as an active boxer.

 Okorodudu, who participated at the 1984 Olympics, said this in at a press conference held in Lagos to announce the second edition of the GOtv Boxing Night, a six fight professional competition, slated for 15 March at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium in Lagos.

 In his message to the 12 boxers billed to fight at the GOtv Boxing Night, Okorodudu advised that they should take the competition seriously by training well and conducting themselves properly to encourage GOtv, headline sponsors of the competition, to continue their sponsorship of the event .

"Boxers need to take GOtv Boxing Night seriously. "GOtv is spending enormous sums to bring the glory days of boxing back. " The least you can do is to keep encouraging them to keep on sponsoring the competition. If you do this, other sponsors will come and join GOtv and boxing will be back on its feet," he said.

Okorodudu, currently a national boxing coach, added that he regrets that a similar initiative did not exist in his active days. "If we had an opportunity like the one GOtv is currently offering boxers, we would have done considerably better, probably become world champions in my days.

 "Nigeria has always had boxing talents, but there was little or no encouragement to make us realise our potential," he added. GOtv Boxing, conceived to revive the flagging fortunes of boxing, debuted last November.

Aside from GOtv, it is sponsored by Custodian Life Assurance Limited, MultiChoice, SuperSport, KSquare Security, Paragonis Multimedia Limited and supported by Complete Sports, PM News and Newsbreak.ng.

The second edition, as with the maiden one, will feature fights in different weight categories. In the biggest fights on the night, Waidi "Skoro" Usman, who emerged National Featherweight champion at the maiden edition of the GOtv Boxing Night, will take on Ghana's Alfred "Ahwor" Qauye in a 12-round West African title bout.

Another eye-catching bout will be betwen Adewale "Tiger" Abbey, National Heavyweight champion, who will defend his title against Tope "Young" Ogunshinusi over 12 rounds. Fights on the cards also include the 10-round National Light Middleweight elimination fight between Jamiu Animashaun and Wahab "Hammer" Adebisi; as well as the National Light Welterweight elimination contest between Waliu Arogundade and Olaide "Fijaborn" Fijabi.

Other fights are the Light Middleweight challenge between Sunday "Capo" Olalekan and Tombraye "Tornado" Christmas as well the Lightweight challenge between Otto "Joe Boy" Joseph and Kehinde Badmus. All the fights will be broadcast live on SuperSport.