BY OLANREWAJU AGIRI
The Progressive Professional Boxers Association (PPBA) and the Nigerian Professional Boxing Promoters Association have jointly commended the Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Bukola Olopade, for his decisive intervention in resolving the protracted dispute between the Nigeria Boxing Federation and the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control.
In a move widely described as restoring order within Nigeria’s boxing ecosystem, the NSC reaffirmed the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control as the sole legally recognised authority responsible for sanctioning professional boxing in the country. The commission also warned that the Nigerian Boxing Federation has no mandate to assume such responsibilities.
This position was clearly outlined in an official letter signed by NSC Director-General Bukola Olopade and dated Friday, March 25. In the correspondence, the commission disclosed that it had received reports of certain individuals falsely claiming NSC authorisation in communications with international boxing organisations, suggesting a takeover of the functions of the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control. The NSC categorically rejected these claims, describing them as misleading and unauthorised.
Reacting to the development, PPBA Coordinator Idris Abiodun Afinni expressed appreciation to the NSC leadership, noting that the intervention has helped restore stability to a boxing community that has been embroiled in internal conflict.
He stated that the crisis was largely driven by “the inordinate ambition of individuals who do not have the best interests of Nigerian professional boxers at heart”, adding that the NSC’s decisive stance has reinstated sanity within the sport.
Similarly, the president of the Nigerian Professional Boxing Promoters Association, Alhaji Waheed Alabi, praised the intervention, describing it as both timely and necessary. According to him, the situation had begun to tarnish Nigeria’s reputation within the global boxing community.
He emphasised that the NSC’s action has helped to avert a looming crisis that could have further damaged the country’s image internationally. However, he also called on the commission to go a step further by taking firm disciplinary measures against those responsible for the dispute.
Alh. Alabi, who doubles as the CEO of De Lad’s Boxing Promotions, urged the NSC to be more assertive in addressing the actions of individuals allegedly operating under the umbrella of the Nigeria Boxing Federation to pursue personal ambitions, warning that failure to act decisively could lead to further embarrassment for the nation.
Stakeholders across the boxing community are now looking to the NSC to sustain its regulatory oversight and ensure that professional boxing in Nigeria operates within established legal and administrative frameworks.
