Boxing Will Boom Again In The New Year, Says Federation Source

IKPO IGBINOBA, Lagos 

With a few days to the end of the year, the Nigeria Boxing Federation, NBF under the leadership of General Kenneth Minimah has given its word that the sport will receive a tremendous boost in the New Year.

The board of the federation had a meeting at the weekend and resolved to reenact the golden era of boxing. 

A source who was at the meeting said the federation among other laudable programmes will stage a national championship through which a crop of new champions would be raised.

According to the source who prayed not to be named, the championship which will take place in February aside from raising new champions will also produce the team for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in July 2022.

The board acknowledged the fact that there was the need to replenish the stock of boxers which is depleted as many had turned professionals.

The source said, “Right now, many of the boxers have been lured to join the professional ranks. So there is the urgent need for a national championship during which we will get new champions”.

The source also explained why the Champion of Champions which traditionally draws the curtain on the boxing year won’t hold this year.

According to him “The board also resolved that the Champion of Champions should not hold this year because most of the champions were now in the pro ranks. 

“After the National Championships next year, we will now have a new crop of champions who will slug it out in the Champion of Champions in December of 2022”.

The source said he was confident that boxing would boom again because of the attitude of the Federation President, Gen. Minimah during the meeting.

“From his attitude during the meeting, it was clear that the President, Gen. Minimah had put behind him the bitter experience of the federation elections”, the source said.

“His body language and general attitude during the meeting gave me hope of better days for boxing”, the source stressed.

Gen. Minimah narrowly survived a vicious gang-up during the elections in September by hitherto trusted board members to be returned as President.

For the records, the former Chief of Army Staff apart from funding programmes of the board also completed the abandoned Brai Ayonote Boxing Complex in the National Stadium in Surulere. 

These contributions have made him the favourite of the boxers and other stakeholders in the sport.