GOtv Boxing Night 21: Baby Face Thanks Sponsors for N1m Cash Prize

AKINSINDE TUNDE EMMANUEL

West African Boxing Union (WABU) welterweight champion, Rilwan “Baby Face” Babatunde, has thanked the sponsors of GOtv Boxing Night for the N1 Million cash prize attached to the best boxer award at GOtv Boxing Night 21.

Baby Face received the highest number of votes from journalists at the event and once again went home with the Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial Trophy awarded to the best boxer for his performance in the welterweight challenge duel with Jubril “Terrible Olalekan, whom he stopped in the second of their eight-round contest.

Speaking in Lagos , Baby Face expressed delight at winning again and thanked the sponsors for encouraging Nigerian boxers. “I’m very happy at what the sponsors have been doing for Nigerian boxers. They keep encouraging us to improve. I’m happy to have won the best boxer prize again. But their support is just not about the cash prize. Despite the challenge brought by the Corona Virus pandemic, they camped us for two weeks before the fight, paid for Covid-19 tests for boxers and coaches. We can say we had a great time in the camp. Every boxer who was in the camp, a great facility will all the right equipment, was happy. I can’t thank them enough,” he said.

Baby Face won the best boxer award at GOtv Boxing Night 11 in 2017, going home with N2million and at GOtv Boxing Night 14 in 2018, winning N1 million. He had also emerged second-runner up at GOtv Boxing Night 13, winning N500,000.

GOtv Boxing Night 21, which held on Saturday behind closed doors at the Rowe Park Sports Centre in Lagos, featured seven fights across weight divisions. The event, broadcast live on GOtv and DStv, saw the return-after two years-of Olaide “Fijaborn” Fijabi, the former African Boxing Union light welterweight champion, who knocked out Dennis “The Range” Mbat in the fourth round.  Also, in action was WABU lightweight champion, the flamboyant Rilwan “Real One” Oladosu, whose rematch with long-time rival, policeman Prince “Lion” Nwoye, again ended in victory for him.

The event saw the emergence of Habeeb “Ige” Oladeji as the national bantamweight champion, following his defeat-by split decision-of Tunde “Turning Star” Olojede in the title contest.

In the lightweight division, Segun “Success” Olanrewaju stopped the more experienced Cosmas “Awosika” David in the fourth round, while Alaba “Elyblow” Omotola accounted for Lateef “Akins Jnr” in the lightweight division.