Sports Festival: Lagos Claims Boxing Fame In Port Harcourt

The 17th National Sports Festival in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has come and gone with the host topping the medals table with a staggering 118 gold medals, pushing pre-games favourites Delta and Edo to second and third positions respectively, with Lagos occupying a distant and dismally ninth position with only 15 gold medals.

But one significant aspect of the 14-day fiesta at the Garden City was the astonishing performance of the Team Lagos boxing squad.

Parading a galaxy of boxing talents, led by irrepressible Olaide Fijabi, pint-sized Taiwo Agbaje, Little Mutiat Adebayo and never-say-die Teni Are, the squad took boxing to its highest entertainment level as spectators came in droves whenever Lagos was on the bill.

The Port Harcourt boxing aficionados had turned the Uniport Convocation Arena, some 10 kilometres, (6 miles) to the City Centre to an amusement park as Lagos boxing team became cynosure and instant hit in the fistic scene.

They came from far and near to have a glimpse of the extraordinary boxing savry and repertoire of the Lagos team, reducing other theatre of operations in the city to mere side attractions.

Earning plaudits from the frenetic boxing enthutiasts for their prowess and amazing dexterity, the Team Lagos boxing squad, conjured a befitting epithet – Golden Gloves – and they fought gallantly to maintain their domineering stance as eight of them zoomed to the finals – a significant improvement over their KADA 2007 performance.

For Olaide Fijabi and Teni Are, it was a moment of joy as they won their second gold medal in the 64kg and 69kg categories respectively, having won same at the 16th Edition of the Games in Kaduna.

With 7 gold, I silver and I bronze to their credit, the Lagos pugilists had gone into early lead by holding their opponents by the scruff of the neck, winning all preliminary bouts to the quarter-final stages before starting to yield grounds.

Middleweight gold prospect, Ibrahim Owoiya, after securing an impressive victory over Tochukwu Duru of Imo State, had his ambition short-circuited by a determined Muideen Akanni of Rivers State in the quarter-final frag, as Sunday Okoro cruised to the semi-final after decisioning David Ikechukwu of Ondo State.

The quartet of Olaide Fijabi, Taiwo Agbaje, Mutiat Adebayo and Teniola Are turned boxing to poetry in motion as they mesmerised and pulverised their opponents to smithereens. They became a delight to watch and also became fan favourites and media darlings as they generated a huge following after a few fights.

Buoyed by the rhythmic and vociferous music of the Lagos State supporters club, led by Folashade Gbajumo, the Lagos boxing team became a box-office attractions as every of their fight had a full house audience.

Fijabi, with a smashing second round stoppage of highly rated Godstine Okuma of Delta State, and a couple of crowd-pleasing battles in the sports fiesta, must have earned himself a national call-up for the All Africa, Commonwealth and Olympic Games. He possesses abundant mobility, hand speed, coordination and other skills that are essential for a promising fighter to excel. In boxing, good punching power is a veritable tool, and Fijabi has it in quantum.

And there is a boxing whiz-kid in the Lagos “Golden Gloves” – his name is Taiwo Agbaje, a product of Wale Edun’s monthly Boxing Hall of Fame programme. Nick-named “Little Tyson,” this flashy youngster with a flair for fanciful foot works and sublime boxing skills has bright prospect in the fistic scene if properly piloted and projected.

Because of his rapid-fire counter punches, which has precluded him from being hit solidly by any of his four opponents during the festival, I am tempted to vote Agbaje my best amateur boxer of the year in Lagos State, without taking anything away from other equally good boxers who made Lagos proud in Rivers State.

It is pertinent to mention here that the secret of Lagos boxing team success could be traced to good coaching under Femi Babafemi, a consummate boxing coach and the total commitment of Hon. Wale Edun to the development of amateur boxing in the state.

I can not conclude this piece without pointing out the significant impact made on grassroots sports under Prince ‘Wale Oladunjoye, another miracle worker, who toiled assiduously by making sure his pet dream – Adopt-A-Talent programme becomes a pathfinder for talents discovery.

In fact, two of his products won gold medals as three others made appreciable impacts at the recently concluded Garden City Games in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

—Segun Adenuga