Defiant Bash Ali Insists World Title Fight Must Hold In Nigeria

Sixty-three years old Bashiru Lawrence Ali (OON) has once again insisted that on no account would he accede to foreign pressure to stage the much talked about Guinness Book of World Record Boxing Championship outside the shores of Nigeria.

The World Boxing Federation (WBF) current cruiserweight champion, who is fondly called Bash Ali by his teeming admirers said on a Channels TV sports programme, Sportsville that he would not succumb to systemic problems he had been facing in the course of bringing honour and glory to his fatherland with the staging of the boxing fight in the country, adding that he wants to make history and break the jinx as the oldest boxer at 63 to win a world boxing title.

Bash Ali, a onetime wrestler in the United States turned boxer, had been in the struggles of having the Guinness World Record Boxing Championship staged in Nigeria with several offers coming from Europe and America to dump Nigeria as the host of the fight. The struggles have becoming so tough that despite former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan giving directives for Nigeria to host the fight, official corruption has not allowed the event to see the light of the day.

The same fate he suffered with the previous administrations is now repeating itself in the government of Muhammadu Buhari, which P.M.EXPRESS can report, had also directed the Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung to provide enabling environment for the boxing championship to hold.

Bash Ali  with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo before the general election

 

“With the arrangement on ground, the Federal Government of Nigeria will not pay any money because the financial inputs will come from two major banks in Nigeria. What the Minister of Sports needs to do is to call for official meeting with these banks and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) where necessary details will be sorted out. The Minister had failed to do the needful since the Presidential directive,” said the Edo State-born pugilist, who holds a traditional title of Ajagungbade of Ibadanland.

“There are a lot of adding values to us as a country from this fight. Because of my age, it will be an interesting sell out bout on the Pay Per View (PPV) telecast with estimated viewers of 10 to 15 million audiences from at least 182 countries of the world. The PPV will cost each viewer 100 USD. This will be huge revenue from a single night.

“Bash Ali will be the first boxer in the world who will win a world boxing title without fighting as an amateur. I want to establish myself and let the world knows the potentials a Nigerian has. I want also to establish myself as the first boxer who plans a world title fight in Nigeria and defiled all odds to achieve it in Nigeria,” he said.

Bash Ali, however, revealed that there has been talks with the officials of the Lagos State Government, which have been very fruitful, while he had also met with the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo before the general election. According to him, Osinbajo promised a positive development on the fight after the election.

“There is no going back on this Guinness World Record Boxing Championship. The world wants to see how a 63 year-old man will defeat a young American boxer in the ring.”

The aged Nigerian boxer explained why he as the boxer has to take it upon himself to source for funds and other organisational needs of the fight. He said: “The systemic problems of this country caused this. I supposed to be in the gym training hard for the task ahead, but you can see that I’m still the one running up and down to source for funds for the fight. It is so sad, but this won’t discourage me.”

He chided the media for not helping boxing in Nigeria especially on the publicity aspect of boxing championships in the country. He called on the media to always rally round the game and help give needed assistance at all time.

63 years old Bash Ali (left) with NBB of C president, Dr Rafiu Ladipo after he renewed his boxing licence recently