16th August, 2015
Over 200 boxers are to feature in the maiden edition of the Open Boxing Championship slated for Sept. 30 to Oct. 4 in Benin, the Edo Boxing Association (EBA) said on Sunday.
The association’s Chairman, Wellington Okoh, told newsmen in Benin that the championship was mainly for boxers from the South-South Geo-Political Zone.
Okoh said members of the military and para-military organisations were also expected to participate in the championship.
He said each of the six states in the South-South zone would present 20 boxers, while two or three officials would accompany the boxers from each state.
The EBA chairman said the association was organising the championship as a result of the dwindling fortunes of the sport in the country.
Okoh noted that the primary aim of the championship was to discover new boxers that would replace the ageing ones.
According to him, “I believe that we can discover new talents through the open championship.
“We are experimenting with the South-South geo-political zone, which will be a kind of mini-festival for boxers.
“You can see that at the last Commonwealth Games, the boxers went to Scotland and did not do very well, as a result of ageing boxers.
“We need to rejuvenate the sport and bring back its pride of place in the world of boxing.
“My goal is for Edo State, in particular, to have the best boxers in the country and for Nigeria to be on top in the world.”
The EBA boss urged corporate organisations to sponsor the event, adding that leaving sports for government alone would not help its development