Sports
12th GOTV Boxing Night: Sponsor Doles Out N20m
Seven bouts are scheduled to take place in the 12th Gotv Boxing Night, tagged: “The Independence Edition’’ to celebrate Nigeria on her 57th anniversary on October 1, the organisers have said.
Flykites Productions in collaboration with Multichoice Nigeria, owners of Gotv Networks announced this in Lagos.
The Managing Director, Flykites Productions, Jenkings Alumona, said the sponsors would be splashing N20 million to cover the expenses for the success of the boxing bout.
He also said that four international fights among the seven fights are that would take center stage at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos.
“We are happy to be back and looking forward to another successful event which promises to be fun and rewarding for the fans and most importantly, the boxers.
“There is also an added value to the 12th edition as N2.5 million will be awarded to the best boxer of the night who wins the Mojisola Ogunsanya trophy.
“In addition, the second and third place winners will go home with N1m and N500,000 respectively as the best boxers of the night,’’ Alumona said.
According to Alumona, the money provided for the best boxers will be in addition to the boxers’ purse which provides every boxer the extra push to be at their best.
In the same vein, , the Marketing Manger of Multichoice, Mathins Marbutho expressed happiness with the development of the championship which has continued to showcase Nigeria’s talents.
He said that boxing has continued to wax strong in Nigeria as it was televised over 48 countries in Africa.
“It’s been a gradual process of hardwork and learning from every past edition to present boxing at its best to Nigeria and across Africa.
“Indeed boxing has come to stay and we are happy about the response we receive from the ever growing fans of the sport since we took the responsibility of sponsoring boxing.
“We urge other private organisations to come and support the sport and work together for the development of boxing and other sports in Nigeria, Mabutho said.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Olajide “Fijaborn’’ Fijabi, a prodigy of the Gotv boxing will slug it out with Ben “Congo Soldier’’ Ankrah of Ghana in an international West African Welterweight title defence bout.
Oto “Joeboy’’ Joseph will battle Yulle Dillion from South Africa in a Commonwealth African Lightweight title bout, while Waidi Skoro’’ Usman from Nigeria will fight Juma Fundi from Tanzania.
In the African Boxing Union Welterweight title defence bout, Ramadhan Shauri from Tanzania will contend with Stanley Edoboy’’ Eribo from Nigeria.
In the local fights, Rilwan “Real One’’ Oladosu will fight Samule Opaogun in the National Lightweight challenge as Kabiru “KB Godson’’ Towolari will fight Akeem Adebayo in a Heavyweight challenge. In a lightweight bout Rilwan “Babyface’’ Babatunde will battle Christmas “Tonado’’ Tombraye. The President, Nigeria Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C), Rafiu Ladipo, said he was elated about the developments and expressed confidence that the future of boxing in Nigeria was in safe hands with Gotv sponsorship.
Sports
Super Eagles Ranks 2nd Among W’Cup Absentees
Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits higher among nations that failed to qualify for the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.
“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see a top team like Nigeria there because they’ve got some great individuals. They’re a great nation,” Terry said during a virtual roundtable session organised by SuperSport.
“I think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain,” the former England captain added.
Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification. Nigeria kept their hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon before falling to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the decisive playoff final — their second successive absence from the World Cup after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.
Despite missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles remain Africa’s 3rd highest-ranked team behind Morocco, who sit seventh in the world, and Senegal. Algeria and Egypt complete the continent’s top five.
Defending champions Argentina enter the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side, ahead of Spain, France, England and Portugal. Brazil are sixth, followed by Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The next FIFA World Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.
Sports
NCF picks Squad For Namibia Tour Tri-Series
Chima Akachukwu and Miracle Akhigbe are among the 16 notable stars picked by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for the forthcoming Namibia Tour, where the YellowGreens will compete in a T20 and 50-Over Tri-Series, featuring hosts Namibia and Hong Kong China.
Both players make their way back into the YellowGreens fold after periods away from the side and will be eager to contribute their experience and quality as Nigeria pursues success in Namibia.
The NCF said yesterday that the squad, which departs Nigeria today, forms part of the national team’s continued preparations for future international assignments as the YellowGreens seek to build on recent performances and strengthen their standing on the global stage.
Leading the squad is Captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign against two formidable opponents in what promises to be a highly competitive series.
The selected squad combines experienced internationals with emerging talents, providing the technical crew an opportunity to assess player development and team combinations in both the T20 and 50-over formats.
The team will be led on tour by Coaches Leke Oyede and Tamuno John, who will oversee preparations and match operations during the opening phase of the series.
Joining the squad later in Namibia will be the newly appointed Head Coach and High Performance Manager, Stephen Magongo, whose arrival marks another significant step in the Federation’s commitment to strengthening the national team structure and enhancing player development pathways.
Supporting the coaching staff are Team Analyst Jamal Okechukwu, Strength and Conditioning Coach Seye Olympio, and Team Physiotherapist Timothy Adesomowo, forming a well-rounded technical crew focused on maximising player performance and welfare throughout the tour.
The NCF views the Namibia Tri-Series as an important platform for the continued growth of the national team, offering valuable international exposure and competitive match experience against quality opposition. The series will provide the players and technical crew with another opportunity to evaluate progress, fine-tune strategies, and build momentum ahead of future international competitions.
The YellowGreens will face Namibia and Hong Kong China in both T20 and 50-over contests, with the matches expected to test the team’s adaptability, discipline, and resilience in challenging conditions.
Sports
Otu Top Seeds Into CBN Senior Tennis Championship’s Second Round
Blessing Otu on Monday overcame hard-fighting Kelvin Bebe- Emmanuella in two sets of 6-1, 6-3 to qualify for the second round of the women’s singles of the ongoing 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship, held at the Tennis Courts of the package “B” of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking after the round of 32 game, Otu, who will be 19 years old in September, said she capitalised on her opponent’s weaknesses to gain victory, having studied her game very well.
“Bebe is a very good and tough player. But I studied her game and did the job well.
“Although she tried to come back in the second set, I punctured all her tricks to win the match and move on. I wish I could continue like this in the rest of my games,” she said.
Another member of the Otu family, John Out, was also victorious as he defeated Mohammed Abdusalam 2-1 (6-2, 6-7, 6-1) in the men’s singles category to advance into the round of 32.
But the third Otu in the game, Thomas, was not that lucky as he lost by 6-0, 7-5 in two straight sets to Danjuma Isaac.
In other matches, Michael Emmanuel defeated Ibrahim Aminu to advance, while Drimiya Mevi outclassed Seyi Ogunsakin by beating him 2-1 (6-7, 6-3, 6-1). Action continues tomorrow when other top players, including the men’s singles top seed, Abua Cannice, join the chase for honours.
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