The GOtv Boxing Night, is a professional boxing event of six fights in different weight categories, which holds at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos, today.
The CEO of Flykite Productions promoting the fights Jenkins Alumona, revealed that the notorious infighting within the boxing family that has gone public and stagnated the sport, may also be as a result of inactivity. “If there were many boxing events for the people to take care of, I am sure there won’t be any problem within the boxing family. I am happy all that in-house fighting within the family no longer exist.”
Alumona described his organisation’s involvement in boxing as an intervention necessary to halt the decline of the sport in the country. He said Nigeria has a rich boxing tradition, which offers a solid foundation on which GOtv Boxing Night seeks to build.
“We have produced great boxing champions like Hogan Bassey and Dick Tiger. Obisia Nwakpa also went very close. Recently, we had Samuel Peters, a World Heavyweight champion. Our performance at the last Commonwealth Games was also very encouraging. I believe we can build on this foundation to provide a platform for professional boxing,” he said.
The decline the sport is experiencing, said Alumona, has not affected its popularity. This, he noted, is evidenced by the existence of over 50 boxing clubs in Lagos and the undiminished attraction of the monthly Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame tournament for amateurs.
Though the Flykite boss is conscious of the mighty effort required to revive the sport, he is positive that the GOtv Boxing Night would ignite a restoration. “With the help of television, the potential of any sport is huge. Until a few years ago when SuperSport came on the scene, football in South Africa was depressed. See where it is today. I am sure not many people would have believed that the Bafana Bafana would defeat the Super Eagles in Uyo last Wednesday to stop Nigeria from qualifying to the 2015 AFCON in Equatorial Guinea. We have also seen how SuperSport is impacting positively on sport like basketball,” he explained.
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