Nigeria dominates inaugural boxing tournament in Lagos
Kehinde Adeleye
Nigeria stunned the competition at the inaugural World Boxing Council (WBC)-Africa Boxing Union amateur championship in Lagos, winning 10 of 11 bouts.
The tournament, held from February 6 to 8, saw 42 boxers from eight African countries compete. Nigeria’s boxers dominated across all weight categories, securing impressive victories.
In the 52kg bout on Saturday, Samuel Dahunsi triumphed over fellow Nigerian Faruk Osikoya with a 5-0 unanimous decision. Quam Musefiu edged Mayowa Gbadeyan 4-1 in the 56kg division.
Riliwan Salawu beat Uganda’s Shakur Mugambe 5-0 in the 69kg category. Abdulramon Abdulwahab also defeated Nigeria’s Abioudun Oluwaseun 5-0 in the 64kg bout.
Precious Anine triumphed in the 60kg female category, defeating Anuoluwapo Akanni, while Aishat Gbadamosi won 5-0 over Nigeria’s Fathia Sulaimon in the 54kg female bout.
In the final match, Jamiu Saheed delivered a technical knockout over Clement Akoumany of Togo in the 82kg category, completing Nigeria’s dominant performance.
The president of the African Boxing Union, Houcine Houichi, praised the success of the event.
He noted the importance of providing young boxers international experience for future competitions, like the World Boxing Championship in Mexico.
Mr Houichi expressed hope that the event would inspire more investment in amateur boxing across Africa, further developing the sport.
He noted that Nigeria’s success highlighted its strength in African boxing.
He said, “I am very proud of what I have seen. Indeed, it’s a bold step in developing amateur boxing in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. It will also help the boxers to prepare mentally for the world boxing championship coming up in Mexico later in the year. With this edition, we hope to see more sponsors and promoters coming to invest in boxing especially at the amateur levels.’’
