Flykite Mourns Dodo

 
Flykite Productions, organisers of GOtv Boxing Night, have described the death of top boxer, Akeem "Dodo" Sadiku, as a big loss to the sport in Nigeria and West Africa.

Dodo, who died in Ibadan on Saturday morning of complications from a surgery, was famous for his quick dismissal of opponents and was a big draw any time he fought at GOtv Boxing Night.

The Chief Executive Officer of Flykite, Jenkins Alumona, said Dodo's death had robbed the country and the West African sub-region a very talented and dedicated boxer.

Speaking in Lagos yesterday, Jenkins Alumona, CEO of Flykite, said Dodo's death has robbed the country and the West African sub-region a very talented and dedicated boxer.  

 Alumona, noted that the death also came as a shock to Chief Adewunmi Ogunsanya,SAN, Chairman of GOtv Boxing and MultiChoice Nigeria, who was particularly pained because the boxer could have gone on to far greater things under better conditions.  

He noted that the death also came as a shock to Chief Adewunmi Ogunsanya (SAN), Chairman of GOtv Boxing and MultiChoice Nigeria, who was particularly pained because the boxer could have gone on to far greater things under better conditions.     

“His death is painful. He was one of our most promising champions, who would have done a lot more for our boxing under improved conditions. 

We commiserate with his family and pray that the Almighty Allah will forgive his shortcomings as well as give his family the fortitude to bear the loss," Alumona quoted Ogunsanya as saying.

Boxers Talk Tough as GOtv Boxing Night 21 Holds On Friday.

 

A feast of explosive boxing action awaits fans across Africa, as GOtv Boxing Night 21  holds on Friday 27 November, at the Rowe Park Sports Centre, Lagos. The event, which will be broadcast live on SuperSport Select 2 (channel 34) and DStv channel 209, will hold behind closed doors in line with Covid-19 safety protocols.

Boxers billed for the seven scheduled bouts have been boasting ahead of the show. Policeman Prince “Lion” Nwoye, who is billed to take on West African Boxing Union (WABU) lightweight champion, Rilwan “Real One” Oladosu, has declared that his opponent's winning streak will end today.

Oladosu, who is yet to taste defeat as a professional, defeated Nwoye in a closely contested bout at GOtv Boxing Night 15. Though he lost the fight, Nwoye managed to curtail the volume punching of the WABU champion and did not buckle, as his previous opponents had done, till the end of the eight-round bout.

On the coming fight, Nwoye said he is confident of inflicting the first defeat on Oladosu, who he said was lucky the last time they met.

“Things are different now. He will be defeated. He was lucky the last time. He won’t be lucky this time. It is my turn to win and I’m confident of beating him and doing so very well,” said the policeman. Former African Boxing Union (ABU) light welterweight champion, Olaide "Fijaborn" Fijabi, has vowed to make his opponent, Dennis "The Range" Mbat, regret ever fighting him.  Fijabi, who is returning to the ring after two years, said he is aiming to regain the continental title and later win the Commonwealth title.   A similar boast was made by WABU welterweight champion, Rilwan "Baby Face" Babatunde, who said he will use his opponent, Jubril “Terrible Olalekan, to warm up for his ABU title bid.

The headline bout will see Habeeb “Ige” Oladeji take on Tunde “Turning Star” Olojede for the national bantamweight title. Other fights scheduled are the super featherweight clash between Sikiru “Omo Iya Eleja” Sogbesan and Kazeem “Delight” Oluwo; lightweight challenge clash between Lateef “Akins Jr” Akinola and Alaba “Elyblow” Omotola as well as light heavyweight duel between Cosmos “Awosika” David and Segun “Success” Olanrewaju.

GOtv Boxing Night: Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial Gym Admits First Set of Boxers

 

The Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial/GOtv Boxing Night Gym in Lagos has admitted its first crop of boxers, numbering 14 boxers, who are billed to fight at GOtv Boxing Night 21 billed to hold on 27 November, checked into the international standard boxing facility on Saturday. 
 
This was disclosed on Sunday by Flykite Productions, managers of the facility and organisers of GOtv Boxing Night, who explained that the coming edition will be behind closed doors but live on television via SuperSport in observance of COVID-19 protocols. 
 
 Their arrival for the pre-bout camping session, said the organisers, followed a visit by officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, who passed the gym fit for use, and mandatory COVID-19 tests for the boxers as well as their trainers.
 
The multi-million naira facility, located in New Oko-Oba in Ifako/Ijaiye Local Government Area, is funded by Chief Adewunmi Ogunsanya (SAN), Chairman, MultiChoice Nigeria and GOtv Boxing. 
 
Conceived as a pre-bout preparation facility for local and international boxers coming to fight in Nigeria as well as an academy for nurturing promising boxers to stardom, the gym had been slated for commissioning in April, an event that had to be postponed indefinitely on account of the COVID-19 outbreak.
 
When fully operational, the gym's hostel has the capacity to accommodate over 30 boxers and trainers at a time.
 
 It sits in an expansive compound and is fitted with modern training equipment such as a standard ring, thread mills, punching and speed bags, double-end bags, wrecking ball snatchers, sparring mitts, focus mitts and bar bells among others.
 
Boxers camped at the gym will be provided with gears such as hand wraps, gum shields and mitt gloves and will be under the supervision of some of the country's best boxing coaches. Being a residential facility, the gym is fully air-conditioned and offers a variety of leisure facilities, including satellite television facilities and board games. Boxers in training and their handlers will also be fed throughout their stay in the facility.
 
Jenkins Alumona, CEO, Flykite Productions,  commended Ogunsanya for his commitment to the revival and growth Nigerian boxing since 2014.
 
GOtv, promoted by MultiChoice, has been the biggest supporter of the sport through GOtv Boxing Night, which has been providing regular bouts through which boxers have earned considerably bigger remunerations and benefitted from exposure to international audience via SuperSport, which broadcasts the event live to 50 African countries.
 
GOtv Boxing Night also birthed GOtv Boxing NextGen Search, an initiative to identify and nurture deserving talents to full professional status.
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Esepo Delighted At Winning Best Boxer Prize At GOtv Boxing Night 20

Taiwo “Esepo” Agbaje, the national featherweight champion, has expressed delight at winning the Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial Trophy for the best boxer at GOtv Boxing Night 20 on Saturday at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos.

Agbaje claimed the cash prize of N1 million attached to the trophy after knocking out Olusegun “Embargo” Moses in the fourth round of a featherweight challenge duel.

Saturday’s win was the third time Agbaje has won the award. He previously won at GOtv Boxing Night 17 and 19.

Speaking in an interview on Monday, Agbaje said he is thrilled to win the award again.

“I’m very happy to win the Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial Trophy for the third time. When I enter the ring to fight, my main focus is just to knock out my opponent and secure a win. But to be considered as the best boxer by the journalists twice in a row and claiming the award three times overall still feels like a dream. I’m very excited and I dedicate this award to my ever-supportive fans,” Agbaje said.

He, however, said his attention has now shifted to becoming the West African Boxing Union (WABU) featherweight champion.

“I’m the national champion, so my aim now is to become the WABU featherweight champion. I’ll continue to work hard to ensure I remain at my peak in order to not just be in contention and win the title, but to ensure that I’m the best boxer in my weight division on the African continent,” he said.

Eight other bouts were held at the event, including the World Boxing Federation (WBF) Intercontinental heavyweight title bout in which Nigeria’s Onoriode “Godzilla” Ehwariemi emerged as the champion after he knocked out his Argentine opponent, Ariel "Chiquito" Baracamonte, in the first round.

Rilwan “Real One” Oladosu of Nigeria retained his West African Boxing Union (WABU) title after he defeated Eric Quarm of Ghana in a lightweight title contest, Nigeria’s Rilwan “Baby Face” Babatunde defeated Sanitor Agbenyo of Ghana to retain his WABU welterweight title, Segun “Success” Olanrewaju knocked out reigning national champion, Adewale “Masevex” Masebinu, in a national light heavyweight challenge duel, and Sikiru “Omo Iya Eleja” Shogbesan defeated his more experienced opponent, Ridwan “Scorpion” Oyekola, via a split decision in a national super featherweight challenge duel.

Opeyemi “Sense” Adeyemi knocked out Ajibola “Jah” Adeniran, in the second round of their national super bantamweight challenge contest, Alaba “Eylbow” Omotola won Bolaji “Fight to Finish” Abdullahi in a national lightweight challenge contest, while Cynthia “Omo Bobby” Ogunsemilore won the all-female clash as she defeated Aminat “Smart” Yekini in a national super featherweight challenge duel.

GOtv Boxing Night Mini: Organisers Assure Fans Of Adequate Security

 Flykite Productions, organisers of the maiden edition of GOtv Boxing Night Mini, have assured fans going to the event on Saturday of adequate security. The boxing show holds at the Rowe Park Sports Complex, Yaba, Lagos.

Speaking on the event, Jenkins Alumona, Managing Director, Flykite Promotions, said necessary arrangements have been put in place to ensure the safety of the boxers, officials and the fans at the event venue.

“Preparations have been put in place regarding top-level security. This is the inaugural edition of GOtv Boxing Night Mini and it is important that from this very edition we prioritize the security of everyone who will be at the venue,” he said.

GOtv Boxing Night Mini will feature five potential explosive bouts. Rilwan “Real One” Oladosu, reigning West African Boxing Union (WABU) lightweight champion, will square off against Ola Adebakin in a national lightweight challenge; and Rilwan “Baby Face” Babatunde, West African Boxing Union (WABU) welterweight champion, will take on Dennis “The Range” Mba in a national welterweight challenge.

Other bouts are a national cruiserweight challenge between Kabiru “KB Godson” Towolawi and Tunji “Germani” Olajide; and a national light welterweight challenge between Waheed “Showmax” Shogbamu and Semiu “Jagaban” Olopade.

There is also an all-female clash as Cynthia “Omo Bobby” Ogunsemilore will take on Omowunmi “Mummy’s Pet” Akinsanya in a national super featherweight challenge.

GOtv Boxing Night 16: Masebinu Eyes WABU Title.

New national light heavyweight boxer, Adewale “Masevex” Masebinu, has declared his desire to claim the West African Boxing Union (WABU) title in the division.

The Ekiti-born boxer became the national champion on Sunday at GOtv Boxing Night 16, following his victory, by knockout, over Kabiru “KB Godson” Towolawi at the Sir Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.

Masebinu, who avenged his previous defeat to the same opponent, said he is proud of his achievement so far, but he already has his eyes on the sub-regional title.

“The next step is the WABU title. I’m sure of winning. I was sure I’d defeat Towolawi and through determination, I did.

 The same applies to the WABU title. I will continue to train hard and remain focused, ready and able to take on anybody once the opportunity presents itself,” he said.

Masebinu dominated the fight against Towolawi, restricting his opponent to harmless jabs while stinging him at every opportunity. 

 From the third round, Towolawi started looking dazed, but stayed on till the end of the fifth round. But when the bell for the sixth round was rung, the boxer indicated his unwillingness to continue taking  punishment.

NBB OF C To Pay A Visit To Anthony Joshua, Lanre Ekundayo.

Nigeria Boxing Board of Control, NBB Of C, will be in London, United Kingdom, to support Nigerian pugilist, Ekundayo Lanre, in  a World Boxing Organisation, WBO, Welterweight fight against Gary Corcoran at London’s Copper Box Arena on Saturday, Eight of this month.

Its President, Rauf Ladipo, who alongside some members of NBB Of C, would at the ring side to give Ekundayo adequate support, said the moral support would go a long way to encourage Ekundayo to win the fight against Corcoran.

Ladipo, who explained that he was also by the ring side to support Nigeria's pugilist, Samuel Peters, where he defeated  Oleg Maskaev, in twenty- zero- eight, said he and his members would also pay a visit to Nigerian born British boxer, Anthony Joshua, who beat Wladimir Klitschko in the eleventh round of the heavyweight contest.

He said the visit was to create an amicable relationship with Joshua who the body would encourage to visit Nigeria with a view of mentoring Nigeria's professional boxers to become the nation's future world champion.

He appealed to corporate bodies and sports enthusiats to support NBB of Control to restructure professional boxing in the country and also to stage world class professional boxing tournaments since the move would help them to emulate Joseph Lasisi, Obisia Nwankpa, Jerry Okorodudu, who made the nation proud in boxing.

Kogi State Boxing Association To Host National Championship.

Kogi state Boxing Association have concluded plans to host a National Boxing Championships in honor of the state governor, Yahaya Bello come August 2017.

The chairman Kogi state Boxing Association, Prince Mathew Kolawole made this known after the inauguration of the committee in Lokoja.

Kolawole said the tournament will help Kogi and the North Central rediscover hidden talents in the region.

The board member of the Nigeria Boxing Federation (NBF) representing the North Central said national boxers and coaches will storm the state capital as cash prizes will be doled out.

"The tournament is tagged governor Yahaya Bello National Boxing Championship to honor him because coincidentally, the governor use to be a boxer".

"The championships is in three phases; Champion of Champions, Under 21 and under U16 which is to groom upcoming boxers to stardom. After the event, we hope Kogi boxers that wins their bouts will be sponsored to international tournaments" said Kolawole.

He recalled that Kogi state boxers have represented the country at Africa, Commonwealth and Olympic games winning medals adding that with this event, Boxing in the state will rise again.

GOtv Boxing NextGen Search Begins 17 August

 The second edition of GOtv Boxing NextGen Search will hold on 17 and 18 August at the Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame Gym, Olatilewa Street, Surulere, Lagos.

The talent hunt programme, which is being held in association with the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C) and the Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame, is conceived to unearth talented boxers not older than 25 years from all parts of the country.

The boxers being sought must be on the verge of turning professional and will have to undergo sparring sessions to determine their suitability.

The sparring will take place under the watchful eyes of accomplished boxing coaches like Joe Mensah and Obisia Nwakpa. Boxers selected from the search will have their professional licenses paid for and have the opportunity at participating at the GOtv Boxing Night.

GOtv Boxing NextGen Search debuted last February, with the maiden edition attracting over a hundred boxers out of which 28 were selected.

Many of those selected from the search have participated at GOtv Boxing Night. Rilwan “Baby Face” Babatunde, Osamudiamen “Shiso” Goodluck, Matthew “Wizeman” Obinna and Chukwuebuka “Wise King” Ezewudo are some of the graduates of the search that have fought at GOtv Boxing Night.

GOtv Boxing Night 8: My Plans For N1m Cash Prize - Skoro

Winner of the One million naira cash prize at GOtv Boxing Night 8,Waidi “Skoro” Usman,  has disclosed what he plans to do with the money.

Speaking after receiving his cheque from Flykite Promotions, organisers of the event, the national featherweight champion said he plans to use part of the money for business and invest some in the purchase of kits needed.

“I am happy I won. I want to put a little aside and spent it on a business that will fetch me money. I will also buy some equipment I need. One million naira is a lot of money. I thank the sponsors for making this possible. This is a big encouragement to boxers and I intend to make judicious use of the money,” he said.

Skoro, who lost a bid for the African title last December, put up a strong showing in his challenge bout against David “Lucky Boy” Ekpeyong during GOtv Boxing Night 8, which held at the National Stadium, Lagos, July 30.

Recalling the fight, Skoro said he trained well after the disappointment of the African title loss and was minded to compensate his supporters, who came out in large numbers to cheer him.

“I did it for them and I am happy I was able to put smiles on their faces after disappointing them in December,” he said.

Larry 'The Natural' Ekundayo To Fight Mundi In African Boxing Union Contest.

East Africa Vs West Africa...Who will emerge victorious?

 

The pride of Nigeria, Larry 'The Natural' Ekundayo is gearing up to defend his African Boxing Union title belt against Tanzanian boxing star Saidi Mundi on Saturday 4th June in London.

 

Son of the soil, Nigerian born Larry 'The Natural' Ekundayo who is the undefeated African Boxing Union champion, International Masters welterweight title holder and the 2012 Prizefighter champion, will once again carry the hopes of Nigeria on his shoulders in a title defence that is set to be an explosive African showdown. 

 

Tanzanian Champion Mundi brings an impressive ring record of 14 wins and only 2 losses, meaning both athletes will be looking to get the best of one another on the night. This night of sporting excellence will be attended by Nigerian celebrities from the worlds of music and film who are great supporters of Ekundayo.

 

As well as this bout promising to be an exciting and thrilling display of African pugilistic talent. This will also be a night of historic magnitude, as it will the first time an African title defense has headlined at the home of British boxing, the York Hall, London.

 

This night is of significant importance to the boxing phenomenon Ekundayo as victory will propel him up the world rankings ahead of a potential title defense in his Homeland of Nigeria on Independence Day, October 1st 2016. 

 

Come and support the champ on Saturday 4th of June at the home of boxing York Hall. (5 Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green, E2 9PJ, Tickets start from

UK Based Nigerian Boxers To Meet House Of Representatives On Tuesday About Promoting Nigeria Globally

A leading British Sports agency, World Class Athletes Ltd, are bringing the two best Nigerian boxers in the world back to Nigeria. The boxers are former Olympian, and World Title Challenger, Ajose Olusegun, and current undefeated African Champion, Larry Ekundayo.

The pugilists will be accompanied by Head of World Class Athletes, Ben Gray and the boxers Special Advisor, Bimbo Folayan, Executive Director of the Nigerian Diaspora Direct Investment Summit and former head of the Central Association of Nigerians in the UK who has been mobilising the Nigerian Community and Government to get behind the boxers.

The Boxers have got a busy schedule ahead of them which includes a workout session with some of Nigerian boxers  and donating some boxing equipment to the Nigerian Olympic Team from their sponsors Bullet Energy Drinks and Arik Air. Next they will be heading off to Abuja, where they will be presented to the National Assembly (on the 15th of March).

Whilst also in Abuja they will be appointed as Investment Representatives for the country and will conduct high level meetings on how they, with the support of the Government and leading businesses, can help deliver sporting glory to Nigeria with the specific aim of helping to improve the country’s image overseas through their sporting achievements. Finally, they will return to their home town Lagos to meet Lagos State officials and discuss how they can support the states aim of being coming a leading destination for sporting events.

In helping deliver sporting glory, via winning World titles, for Nigeria the boxers aim at reigniting the country’s passion for the sport, as boxing is one that they have had a long and proud history in. World Class Athletes strongly believe that Nigeria can rule the world at this internationally respected sport, in a very short space of time, with the correct support.

The plan is not only to deliver Nigerian World Champions but also positive trade ambassadors for the country, to help improve trade between the UK and the USA, this will be achieved through the international media attention a World Champion attains. The boxers will also encourage Nigerians to not only support their own athletes but also their own businesses whenever they can. To this end the boxers have been invited to represent the Nigerian Diaspora Direct Investment Summit in June, in London, where the two boxers will mobilise the Diaspora and other investors to invest in Nigeria. 

The boxers success in the ring would also provide the opportunity for the some of the country’s major cities to stage big sporting events, as Las Vegas in the US and Macau in China do. These events will attract visitors from around the world with the staging of a high profile boxing event being used as a back drop to encourage investment into Nigeria. It will also serve to help create jobs in the sports and the hospitality industry and to help inspire the countries youth, whilst also encouraging them with discipline and health through boxing, a sport which Nigeria, with the correct support, can go on to dominate the world at.

Government Negligence Makes Football Official Sport-Ewenla

Business man and grand patron of Baskenny boxing club, Alhaji Akindipe Ewenla says government deliberate policy of neglecting other sports like boxing, athletics to mention a few is the main reason football has emerged as the number one sport in Nigeria.

No doubt about the round-leather game’s popularity in Nigeria, but in recent times other sports have also brought recognition to the country. 

The exploits of our Boxers, Wrestlers, Weightlifters and so on at the All African Games in Brazzaville and on the international scene lays credence to this.

And in an apparent show of support for equity and fairness to other sports from the government, the business man maintained that the attitude must change.

“I have nothing against football. But, in a country of more than 170m people, I don’t like people saying football is our number one sport.

“No! it is wrong. What we are seeing is the effect of years of negligence and apathy to other sports at the expense of football. We have produced world beaters in boxing; athletes that brought us recognition before football started to push us into the limelight.

“All African Games in Brazzaville validates this point. Our Boxers were on point while our footballers faltered. 

So what are we saying? Stop paying lip service to not only boxing and other sports too, then you will see the giant leap we’ll make,” he told golden gloves.

Gotv Splashes One Pont Five Million Naira On Pugilists As Fijabi Spits Fire.

The promoter of Gotv Boxing Night, Flykite Promotions, says the sum of one point five million naira at stake for the best boxer of the 5th edition of the professional championship is geared at preparing the pugilists to be at their best.

Its Chief Executive Officer, Jenkins Alumona, said the star prize money which was formerly a million naira (=N= 1 Million Naira) was increased to One point five million naira (=N= 1.5 Million Naira)  because this month's edition was tagged a special edition, hence the reason to make the event a memorable and exciting day for the pugilists.

Alumona, said the Gotv Boxing Night had really added value to professional boxing in Nigeria as two former amateur boxers, Abiola Fijabi and Otto Joseph, who recently turned professional, were beneficiaries of the star prize of one million naira (=N= 1.5 Million Naira) each for being rated as the best boxers in one of the Gotv Boxing Night competitions.

General Manager of Multi-choice Nigeria, Martin Mabutho, says the competition has uplifted the standard of professional boxing in Nigeria through their Digital Satellite Television, DSTV, platform.

Mabutho, who emphasized that forty- seven African countries would have the opportunity of watching exciting boxing tournament, said the gesture would help drive boxing promoters and experts across the world to pitch their tents with Nigeria's boxers whose outstanding performance in the competition could earn them foreign contracts in Europe, Asia and America.

He is optimistic that the tournament would drive a lot of their subscribers to keep patronizing them based on their quality sporting programmes apart from boxing, said the spirit of giving and receiving attached to Christmas was one of the reasons of increasing the competition's star prize to one point five million naira (=N= 1.5 Million Naira), .

The 5th edition of Gotv Boxing Night is billed for Saturday, twenty- sixth of December,2015 at the Sportshall of the National Stadium, Surulere.

Meanwhile, a prolific Lightweight boxer, Abiola Fijabi, says he is unperturbed by the intimidating records of his opponent,Sodiq Hammed who is currently ranked number one in the Lightweight category.


Fijabi, a gold medalist at the EKO 2012 Games and a former winner of one million naira of the tournament, said the achievement of Sodiq Hammed, had spurred him to re-double his training programmes in order to outwit him since it would boost his records and also project him positively on the continent. adding that the rein of Hammed as the champion of Lightweight had scared away boxers.

On the One point five million naira (=N= 1.5 Million Naira) star prize money for the best boxer of the fight billed for Saturday, 26th of December, 2015, at the Sportshall of the National Stadium, Fijabi, said the money could serve as a distraction as his priority was to train effectively and also to work according to the dictate of his coaches.

He thanked the management of Gotv Nigeria for delving into professional Boxing which has motivated a lot of amateur boxers to turn professional.

GOtv Boxing Night: I Will Win N1m Cash Prize, Says Fijabi.

Olaide "Fijaborn" Fijabi, one of the boxers billed to fight at the third edition of the GOtv Boxing Night on Sunday at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium in Lagos, has predicted that he will be the winner of the N1million cash prize for the best boxer at the event. The cash prize will be accompanied by a trophy named Mojisola Ogunsanya trophy.

Fijabi, who will be fighting Kazeem "Iberu" Ariyo, in a Light Welterweight challenge bout, was adjudged the best boxer at the last edition of the tourney last March.

"I have worked very hard and I believe my training has put me in a position not just to beat my opponent, but to retain the best boxer trophy and go home with the N1million cash prize," he said.

Fijabi's boast, however, has been sneered at by his Ariyo, who described Fijabi as way below the standard of the fighter that would make him sweat in the ring. "Fijabi will not last beyond a round. Mark my words," he raved.

GOtv Boxing Night, a six-bout tourney for professional boxers, is sanctioned by the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control. The biggest fight on the card is the 12-round National Light Middleweight contest between Sule "Tyson" Olagbade, reigning champion, and  Rasheed "Afonja Warrior" Abolaji.

It will similarly feature a six-round international female bout between Nigeria's Helen "Iron Lady" Johnson and Gifty "Tiger" Amanua Ankrah of Ghana
Also on the card is a Lightweight challenge bout between Prince Nurudeen Fatai and Chibuzor "T-Boy" Obi.

Other fights will see Sunday "Golden Child" Ajuwa taking on Femi "Easywhite" Ajayi in an eight round Cruiserweight challenge bout, while Onoriode "Onos" Ehwarieme will go head-to-head with Adewale "Masevex" Masebinu in a six-round Heavyweight challenge bout.

GOtv Boxing Night, which has the pay-TV company as the headline sponsor, is supported by MultiChoice, SuperSport, KSquare Security, Newsbreak.ng, Complete Sports, Brilla FM and Paragonis Multimedia Limited.

The competition debuted in November 2014 as a way of reviving the sport in the country. The second edition held in March. The event will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

We Bow Out With Our Heads High - Okagbue

Remo Stars FC ended their 2015 Federation Cup campaign in the Round of 16 haven been knocked on penalties by Lobi Stars after a one all draw at regulation time.

Benue born attacker Ochowechi Salefu opened the scoring 30seconds into the game with a brillant strike to give the Sky Blue Stars the deserved lead at half time.

Mohammed Edumar was well placed to poke it a scrabbled ball to level the scores for Lobi Stars and the game when on to Penalties after scores were on level terms at full-time.

Head Coach Uche Okagbue has picked the positives from the game indicating that despite the team failing to progress in the competition, the team will go out with head up high.

"We aren't qute happy bowing out at this stage. We just have to keep working hard to ensure we surpass our previous performance in the competition.

"The lads gave it everything they had in them even when the gave got very physical they stood strong, the have done well we played against two teams from the Premier League and we weren't defeated in 90mins of play so we can be proud of ourselves.

" We just have to focus on the Nigeria National League and finish well in the league."

In 2013 Remo Stars FC were knocked out by Enyimba in the Round of 32 by 2-1 in Lokoja

2014 saw Bayelsa United  claim a 1-0 Victory over the Sky Blue Stars in Rojenny

2015 Lobi Stars knocked out the Sky Blue Stars 5-4 on penalties at the Rojenny  Stadium Oba.

N1m Cash Prize: Obisia, Okorodudu, Others Laud GOtv

Boxing legends, Obisia Nwakpa and Jeremiah Okorodudu have commended digital terrestrial pay-TV provider, GOtv, for offering a cash prize of N1million to the best boxer at the 3rd edition of the GOtv Boxing Night holding on 26 July at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium Lagos.

Nwakpa and Okorodudu spoke in Lagos on Tuesday during a press conference to announce the six-fight professional boxing event. Okorududu, who spoke first, said he was happy at the announcement of the decision to award the generous cash prize, the biggest in the history of Nigerian boxing, describing it as an indication that the sport has regained its momentum in the country.

The ex-Olympian called on the 12 boxers billed to fight at the event to put in their best as a show of appreciation for the kind gesture of GOtv. "If you put in your best, it will further encourage GOtv and other prospective sponsors to support the sport," said Okorodudu, who once expressed regrets that a sponsor like GOtv was not available during his days as a boxer

Nwakpa, a former World Boxing Council Light Welterweight title challenger, was also full of praise for GOtv, saying the gesture will accelerate the revival of boxing in the country. Like Okorodudu, he called on boxers participating at the GOtv Boxing Night to repay the sponsors' faith in the sport with committed performances.

The biggest bout on the card at the tournament, sanctioned by the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control, is the 12-round National Light Middleweight contest between Sule "Tyson" Olagbade, reigning champion, and Abolaji "Afonja Warrior" Rasheed.

Also on the card is a six-round international female bout between Nigeria's Helen "Iron Lady" Johnson and Gifty "Tiger" Amanua Ankrah of Ghana.

The event will also feature a Light Welterweight challenge duel between Kazeem "Iberu" Ariyo and Olaide "Fijaborn" Fijabi. The fight will span eight rounds.

In the Lightweight category, Prince Nurudeen Fatai will take on Chibuzor "T-Boy" Obi over eight rounds, while Sunday "Golden Child" Ajuwa is billed to fight Femi "Easywhite" Ajayi in an eight round Cruiserweight challenge bout.

In the Heavyweight division, Onoriode "Onos" Ehwarieme will go head-to-head with Adewale "Masevex" Masebinu in a six-round challenge bout.

GOtv Boxing Night, which has the pay-TV company as the headline sponsor, is supported by MultiChoice, SuperSport, KSquare Security, Newsbreak.ng, Complete Sports, Brilla FM and Paragonis Multimedia Limited.

The competition debuted in November 2014 as a way of reviving the sport in the country. The second edition held in March.

Nwankpa Blames NSC For Setback In Nigerian Boxing

As Nigerian sports enthuasists expect the nation's pugilists to win laurels at the forthcoming All African Games in Congo Brazaville, former African and Commonwealth Champion, Obasia Nwankpa, has warned teeming Nigerian sports fans not to expect positive results from the boxers that would be selected for the games.

The number one World Boxing Council, WBC, contender, said the head coach of the Nigeria Boxing Federation, Tony Konyeagwachi and his assistant, Adura Olalehin, lack technical skills of coaching boxers to win international competitions of such magnitude which usually take a serious boxing nation and coach four years to plan in order to achieve remarkable feat.

While regarding Konyegwachi and Olalehin as amatuer coaches whose peers are still active in the game of boxing, Nwankpa said, the coaches did not have pre-requisite coaching certificates or required experience to train pugilists to make the country proud at the All African Games, AAG, adding that, none of the boxers invited to camp are capable of winning Gold medals''.

Nwankpa, who challenged the coaches over their inability to produce All African Games Gold medalists, said the training programme of the coaches was an indication that the boxers would only make up the number of African athletes to the Games without recording success because serious boxing nations had started preparations couple of years ago, unlike the Nigeria Boxing Federation that invited pugilists to camp when the Games would begin in less than two months.

While warning the National Sports Commission, NSC, for the misfortune, the former national coach, said the commission did not enrol the Federation's coaches on regular refresher courses, neither does the NSC deem it necesary to make provisions of quality and modern equipment at the boxing gym, adding that, the boxers invited to camp are not exposed to national competitions, which would have serve as a test to measure their performances.

Gotv Boxing Night: One Million Naira Up For Grab

The organizers of Gotv Boxing Night, Flykite Productions, has set a high standard to be beaten in the history of professional boxing in Nigeria, the boxing promoting outfit has earmarked a million naira as star prize for the best boxer at the 3rd edition of the professional bout fixed for Sunday, 26th of July, 2015.

Chief Executive Officer, Flykite Productions, Jenkins Alumona, said the gesture which is first of its kind in the history of professional boxing in Nigeria, was to uplift the standard of boxing and also to create opportunity for Nigerian pugilists who for a long period of years have been an amateur boxer because of the poor renumeration and lack of regular competitpons.

He said, the best boxer of the 3rd edition of Gotv Boxing Night would be selected by Sports journalists and boxing stakeholders, as the boxing promoter  assured that the prize money would be increased in subsequent editions, adding that the move would ginger the pugilists to give their best while in the ring.

Alumona, who apologized for the the power outage witnessed during the second edition, said, a power generating set had been acquired in addition to the source of electricity to be provided by the management of National Stadium, Surulere.

Meanwhile, the Secretary General of Nigerian Boxing Board of Control, NBB of C, Remi Aboderin, had warned the boxers scheduled for the championship not to see the event as do or die affairs based on the one million naira prize money attached to the competiton, adding that they should endeavour to see the gesture as a challenge to work harder for success.

Boxing Lovers Laud GOtv Boxing Night.

Boxing lovers, who were at the second edition of the GOtv Boxing Night, held Sunday at the Indoor Sports Hall, National Stadium, Lagos, have continued to hail the initiative put together by PayTV outfit, GOtv.

Some of the boxing enthusiasts said they have never seen a professional competition that is top notch for a very long time and called the organisers to up the ante in subsequent editions.

 

Sheu Ibrahim, one out of winners of 50 GOtv decoders said, when he heard that 50 lucky winners will go home with decoders he thought it was a hoax until his raffle ticket number was called after one of the raffle draws.

 

Ibrahim said: ‘‘For those, who feel the commercials and adverts that 50 GOtv decoders will be giving out via raffle draw was a true, I can assure them, that I am going home with my own decoder, I will also tell my friends and neighbours that, GOtv made good their promise.’’ 

 

To Nnena Ezim, a female boxing fan lauded GOtv on the organisation of the second edition, ‘The first edition was a success but the second can be described as a huge success, security was tight, unlike other boxing competition where fans are attacked and robbed of their valuables, today’s (Sunday) event was better packaged than others.’’ 

 

GOtv Boxing Night, an event conceived to revive boxing in Nigeria, also had as sponsors Custodian Life Assurance Limited, MultiChoice, SuperSport, Paragonis Multimedia Limited, KSquare Security, Brila FM, Complete Sports, Newsbreak.ng and PM NEWS. The event was broadcast live on MultiChoice.

 

Waidi ‘Skoro’ Usman, who became national champion in his class at the maiden edition of the GOtv Boxing Night, stopped his opponent, Ghana's Alfred "Ahwor" Quaye in the second of their scheduled 12-round contest-the headline bout at the event.

 

Usman made nonsense of Quaye's pre-match boast that he was out to prove Ghana's superiority of Nigeria in sports. Usman, combining the speed of hand and thought that got the crowd chanting frenziedly, thumped his opponent with fury that ensured a Technical Knockout.

 

In another firecracker contest, Tope "Young" Ogunshinasi failed in his bid to wrest the National Heavyweight title from Adewale "Tiger"Abbey, reigning National Heavyweight champion.

 

 Ogunshinasi, however, ran the champion close, as evidenced by scores from the three judges.

 

The night began with professional debutant, Ottoh "Joe Boy" Joseph, kicking off his career with a win by defeating  Kehinde "Ijoba" Badmus over  six rounds in a  Lightweight challenge. This was followed by the six-round Light Middleweight challenge bout between Sunday "Capo" Olalekan and Tonbraye "Tornado" Christmas, an army corporal who was ceaselessly cheered on by a large contingent of soldiers in attendance. It was an explosive fight, as the two boxers left fans at the edge of their seats. But there was nothing to choose between them as the fight was declared a draw by the judges.

 

In the Light Welterweight elimination bout between Waliu "Oganla" Arogundade and Olaide "Fijaborn" Fijabi, a debutant, the latter made a winning debut by defeating his opponent on points. Fijabi, whose skills and reputation made him the crowd favourite, also went home with the trophy awarded to the best boxer on the night.

 

The 10-round National Light Middleweight elimination bout involving Jamiu "Rotor" Animashaun and Wahab "Hammer" Adebisi started on a tasty note, but did not last, as it was declared a no contest by the judges in the fourth round.

 

It was a night of fun for the fans, as in addition to top class boxing, they also got gifts that included 50 GOtv decoders, T-Shirts, facecaps, diaries and bags.