Youths in Oyo State and its environs will soon have the opportunity to hone their skills in boxing following plans by Extreme Boxing Group to begin a grassroots development programme for budding pugilists.
Unveiling plans for the project in Ibadan at the weekend, Extreme Boxing Group’s promoter, Ayo Olaniyi, said his organisation has concluded plans to open a sports arena, dubbed Ringii Sports Entertainment Hub, along the ever-busy Ring Road axis of Ibadan.
According to the young promoter popularly known as Iyanda’badan, the project is aimed at reviving the dying boxing culture in Nigeria, especially Oyo State, which is reputed for producing the highest number of boxers for the country.
“The idea is to give our professional boxing a new face and the boxers’ a new lease of life. I have signed about 20 boxers into the stable of the Extreme Boxing Promotion to avail them every necessary input that will aid their career.
“This arena will also be hosting other sporting activities, especially indoor games, but we have major preference for boxing, and that is why our professional boxers would be nurtured here and engaged in contest bouts to the admiration of boxing enthusiasts on a regular basis, just as it is being done in the developed world.
“It will be profitably beneficial to the numerous boxers that used to train without having platform to exhibit the skills, as we are going to hugely invest into the future of these promising fighters.”
Iyanda’badan noted that Nigerian boxing has been hampered by lack of good facilities, poor motivation and bad business orientation, which his outfit has come to address.
At the unveiling of the project, Nigeria Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C) President, Dr. Rafiu Ladipo, lauded the initiative and described the promoter as the new ‘African Don King’ and a blessing to the sport.
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