Confession Of A Microbiologist Turned Boxer: GOtv Boxing Night Opened My Eyes To New Things

Rising super featherweight boxer and Microbiology graduate, Sikiru “Omo Iya Eleja” Shogbesan, has credited GOtv Boxing Night for opening his eyes to a new career path.

Shogbesan, who is due to fight Yusuf Ayinla at GOtv Boxing Night 22 on 1 January, recently completed his national youth service programme after bagging a Higher National Diploma (Upper Credit) in Microbiology from the Yaba College of Technology.

Speaking in an interview in Lagos on Tuesday, Shogbesan, who previously bagged an Ordinary National Diploma (Upper Credit) in Science Laboratory Technology from the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic in Abeokuta, said his involvement in boxing through GOtv Boxing Night has made him to start considering studying human kinetics (a discipline focused on the study of human movement) in the future.

Shogbesan, who was discovered at an edition of GOtv Boxing NextGen Search and is about having his fourth professional fight at GOtv Boxing Night, said the initiative has motivated him to remain in a boxing-related field when he retires from the ring.

“I’m very happy for the opportunity GOtv Boxing has given me and other boxers, who now have more opportunities to fight and have become more famous, locally and internationally, through exposure on television.

“Unlike before, visuals of our fights are readily available to promoters. I’m far more popular now and without GOtv Boxing Night, that would not have happened.

“Importantly, I’m so much in love with boxing now that I intend to study human kinetics at the postgraduate level, so I can remain involved in boxing.

“What I knew before now was Physical and Health Education, which doesn’t really appeal to me. I just became aware of human kinetics and I’m minded to earn a qualification in it,” he said.

Speaking on his next fight, Shogbesan, who famously defeated Ridwan “Scorpion” Oyekola, the national featherweight champion, at GOtv Boxing Night 19, said Ayinla, his next opponent, should nurse no hope of victory.

GOtv Boxing Night 22, which will be held on New Year’s Day, will feature seven fights, including two World Boxing Federation (International) title bouts. One will see Rilwan “Baby Face” Babatunde, West African Boxing Union (WABU) welterweight champion take on Tanzania’s Mkwalekwa Salehe Omari, while Rilwan “Real One” Oladosu, WABU lightweight champion, will go against Ghana’s Emmanuel Quartey.

The event, to be held behind closed doors in line with official COVID-19 safety measures, will be broadcast live on SuperSport to GOtv subscribers on Select 2 (channel 34) and to DStv subscribers on channel 209.