By Olanrewaju Agiri
Following an urgent meeting, professional boxers, pro-boxing coaches, and promoters under the Pro-Boxing Stakeholders Association of Nigeria and Progressive Professional Boxers Association (PPBA) have pledged to oppose Omonlei Imadu, the vice president of the Nigeria Boxing Federation (NBF), taking over the NBBofC’s statutory responsibilities.
The strong member of the stakeholder’s body, Mathew Obinna, stated that their body reaffirmed their faith in Dr. Rafiu Ladipo’s leadership of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBBofC) and characterized Mr. Imadu’s underground plotting as a figment of his imagination that would never come to pass.
“Before Remi Aboderin and others took over the management of professional boxing in Nigeria, the sport had been in decline. Their leadership changed the fortunes of professional boxers in Nigeria for the better. Professional boxing promotions have experienced remarkable growth in recent years, with our boxers competing for belts and earning significant purse(s),” Obinna, the CEO of Wiseman Boxing Promotions, stated.
The stakeholders asserted that professional boxing is managed by an independent body that operates without government intervention globally, as they heard that the NBF vice president mentioned on a boxing platform that the amateur organization is interested in taking on positions in professional boxing, describing such a notion as an unreasonable aspiration that will never come true.
Speaking in the same vein, a chieftain of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control, Hon. Gbenga Opaleye, stated that the NBB of C operates with government recognition as an NGO that’s been registered since 1949, and its CAC registration and returns are up to date, as it’s done the world over.
Opaleye, however, alleged that the vice president of NBF recently took two Nigerian professional boxers to fight in Kigali, Rwanda, without obtaining official clearance from the appropriate authority.
He affirmed that amateur leaders should be concerned with their duties, which are to register the young amateurs for international competitions and Olympic outings. Instead of doing this, Imadu is busy taking Nigerian professional boxers out to fight in other African countries without following due procedures.
According to the NBBofC boss in Oyo State, “Imadu took the two boxers, David Akinola and Precious Anine, out to engage in professional boxing activities in Rwanda without first obtaining authorization from the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control, which is the body in charge of professional boxing activities in Nigeria.
“As Vice President of the Nigerian Boxing Federation, he should not be managing boxers at the amateur or professional levels; doing so will jeopardize the growth of boxing and other boxers who are not in his camp in Nigeria, as favoritism will enter the selection of boxers to represent the country at international meets over which the NBF is clearly in charge.”
A retired boxer and PPBA member also stated that they learned the YUCATECO boss, out of his inordinate ambition, incited the Secretary General of the Nigeria Boxing Federation, Vivian Azimene, to query the NBBofC about the authorization of using the office allocated to them at the Brai Ayonote Boxing Gym. “We all know that the place was approved for them by the National Sports Commission, with a letter dated back to March 23rd, 2012.”
Many in the boxing firmament are concerned about this issue, hence advising anyone with excessive aspirations to face the activities given to them by the NBF and not bring chaos into the already progressing Nigerian pro-boxing, as the stability and advancements made by organizations committed to boxing promotion in Nigeria are threatened by the persistent meddling of ambitious people.
