FG Will Guarantee Bash Ali’s World Title Fight, Sports Minister Assures

The Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung has declared that the Federal Government of Nigeria will guarantee the proposed Bash Ali’ Project, the Guinness Book of World Record Boxing Championship which will hold in Nigeria very soon.

The fight, which is coming on the platforms of World Boxing Federation (WBF)  and International Boxing Union (IBU), will be between Nigeria’s Bashiru Lawrence Ali a.k.a Bash Ali (OON) and American Rick Camlin, an IBU champion, has been in the pipeline for several years, suffering different kinds of hitches, despite approvals of two sitting Nigerian presidents, Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan.

It was however a succour for the WBF cruiserweight champion, Bash Ali when the Minister of Sports, on Wednesday’s evening in his office at the Federal Secretarial in Abuja, assured the Edo State-born boxer that the Federal Government will give its full backing to the staging of the world title bout in Nigeria, providing all necessary enabling environment that will facilitate private sector involvement in the organization of the championship.

The Minister told Ali and his entourage that the struggle by the former wrestling champion to have the fight staged in Nigeria has been on for several years, but the end has finally come for the realisation of the fight here in Nigeria.

“We’ll guarantee the fight. We’ll ensure that there is adequate security during the event. The Ministry will give Bash Ali a letter recommending the record setting fight for sponsorship consideration and we will be here to respond to any enquiry from who be sponsors, ” he said.

The guarantee will include among other things the commitment of the government to ensuring a conducive atmosphere for the hitch-free staging of the historic fight.

Dalung said that he has also given” a directive for the invitation of NEXIM Bank and Bank of Industry’s officials for a meeting to hear their own side of the issue that caused the delay of releasing of funds for the fight. We have to get to the root of what happened. The meeting will take place in my office next week’s Thursday (29 December, 2016) with Bash Ali’ camp.

“I want to appeal to Bash Ali to exercise patience and remain calm as everything pertaining to the fight is under control. I must also commend Ali himself for his courage. There are many Nigerians out there that don’t have the courage to fight their just cause, but this is Bash Ali who did not relent even despite daunting challenges, he remained steadfast and fought his ways to the level we are today, ” Barrister Dalung said.

The Minister also told Bash Ali that he should forward the names of people from his camp as a Local Organising Committee (LOC) will be constituted very soon.

It was gathered that the Ministry of Sports has written to the International Boxing Union, giving a security guarantee for 132 member countries that Nigeria is committed to the staging of the fight in the country.

Bash Ali’s entourage to the Minister included Mrs Preyi Wokoro a.k.a Bubble, Omoaka Azeez Abdulrazak, Alhaji Ariba Swan, Gabriel Ikpowe, Emmanuel Obi, Preye George Wokoro, Naama Bulama and Taiwo Adelu.