At about 9am on 29 August, the atmosphere in the Indoor Sports Hall of the Kwara Stadium Complex, Ilorin, was still. An empty boxing ring sat in the centre, with young boxers wearing GOtv Boxing NextGen Search 5 T-shirts sitting calmly as though awaiting medical screening results at a hospital. On the terrace, a sizeable crowd had gathered in expectation. About an hour later, the venue became animated, following the announcement of the first sparring session to kick off the programme which, over the last three years, has been the only deliberate initiative to find and nurture professional boxers in the country.

The boxers, aged between 18 and 25, had arrived from across the country with hope of being fast-tracked to the professional ranks and benefiting from a range of incentives provided by the sponsors. These include payment for pro boxing licences, pre-licensing medical screening, pre-bout camping and the opportunity to fight at GOtv Boxing Night. As the sparring continued, loud cheers cascaded from the terrace. The boxers, keen on impressing the assessors, who included coaches Joe Mensah and Obisia Nwakpa, both boxing greats; Dr Rafiu Ladipo and Remi Aboderin, President and Secretary-General of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C) respectively. The sparring sessions spilled into the next day, after which the assessors came up with a list of those considered ready to progress into the professional cadre.

Thirteen boxers were adjudged to have met the assessors’ criteria. Of the 13, three were considered to have been outstanding. Alaba Omotola was named the most valuable boxer, with Chibudem Okafor and Abolade Akintunde emerging runners-up. Each of the three was presented with a GOtv decoder. All the selected boxers will also have their professional licences and pre-licensing medical examinations paid for by GOtv.

The NBB of C President thanked the sponsors for initiating the developmental programme, which he said indicates a desire to ensure that Nigerian boxers benefit from appropriate grooming from the right ages.

Related News

Ladipo said: “For years, the NBB of C alongside other boxing stakeholders in the country had decried the lack of support for young boxers. I will like to state that the contributions of  GOtv to the revival of boxing in Nigeria through GOtv Boxing NextGen and GOtv Boxing Night has been tremendous for our sport,” he said.

He added that it takes enormous dedication for a sponsor to commit resources to a programme such as GOtv Boxing NextGen Search.

GOtv NextGen Search continues its trend of unearthing the next generation of boxing superstars for the country. The first edition was held in 2016, with the stated objectives of discovering best of raw boxing talents in Nigeria, polish and place them on the path of stardom. The first two editions held in Lagos, the third took place in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, and the fourth happened in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

Among the programme’s alumni are West African Boxing Union (WABU) welterweight champion, Rilwan “Baby Face” Babatunde; Ridwan “Scorpion” Oyekola, current national featherweight champion; Opeyemi “Sense” Adeyemi; Chukwuebuka “Wize King” Ezewudo, Prince “Lion” Nwoye, Osamudiamen “Chiso” Goodluck, Akintayo Femi, Akintayo Aminu and Shogbanmu Waheed.