LAGOS (SUNDIATA POST)- Yakubu Imadu, a boxing promoter and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Yucateco Boxing Promotion says boxing can rival football in Nigeria with the right investment and support from stakeholders.
Imadu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday at the sidelines of the maiden edition of the LSSC Individual Boxing Club Championship in Mushin, that is goal is to make boxing a major sport in the country.
NAN reports that no fewer than 300 boxers are participating in the grassroots competition.
Imadu noted that with the right infrastructure and promotion for boxing in Nigeria, chances are rife that the sport can end the dominance of football among the youths.
“I am very excited and proud to be a part of this revolution of promoting boxing in Nigeria, which will set the country on the world map.
“The development of boxing is not just for one individual alone, we just have to keep building synergy.
“We are happy that Africa is coming up in boxing; we want to create our own initiative and also show that we can do better.
“We have to make sure we develop this sport, to make it go back to its limelight of where it used to be, because boxing was once popular in Nigeria,” he said.
Imadu said with the abundance of talents scattered across the country, the combat sport can sure rival football in no distant future.
“Football alone shouldn’t take dominance, we have come to challenge the single visibility of football in Nigeria and that’s why we have decided that boxing is the next big thing.
“We have large followers of boxing in Nigeria, a whole lot of lovers of the sport, but we need a platform to challenge the status quo.
“It is the platform that boxing is missing, so we have decided to bring it back to limelight.
“There are many youths who are crazy about boxing in Nigeria, it is a testimony that I can tell with my engagement in the sport,” he said.
The promoter said with more active participation in boxing, Nigeria could as well boast of dominating the podium in the sport at the next Olympics.
“Within eight years, we can dominate boxing if we are serious about its development; we have the potentials to dominate Africa and the World.
“We want to grow because we see a fantastic future for boxing eco space in Nigeria,” he said.
On the Lagos State government initiative at the LSSC Individual Boxing Club Championship, Imadu said that the competition would afford more youths to develop interest in boxing.
“I must give praises to the Director General (D-G) of Lagos state sports commission for making this boxing competition happen, it’s been a long time.
“We hardly see something like this, maybe the last time was eight years ago.
“We thank the Lagos state Governor for creating the enabling environment and giving us the listening ears to promote boxing.
“We are actually here with the task of developing boxing and making Nigeria and the Africa continent great and that’s why our programme is mainly rooted to the grassroots,” he said.
Imadu stressed the need for a proper structure for the development of boxing in Nigeria.
“We are charged to go back to the grassroots and develop this game so they will be able to graduate from amateur to professional and having champions of boxing in Nigeria, he added.
The competition which began on Oct.21 will end on Oct.27. (NAN)
