Determined to make a living in boxing, over 100 young pugilists seeking to join the professional cadre have arrived in Abeokuta for the fourth edition of GOtv Boxing NextGen Search. The event starts today.
The boxing talent hunt programme, which holds at the Dunkin Pepper Gym inside the MKO International Stadium Sports Complex, will end on Saturday.
The programme will see boxers, aged between 18 and 25, take part in sparring sessions to be supervised by the country’s top boxing coaches, who will assess their readiness for the professional cadre and pick the best. This is the second time the programme is holding outside Lagos. The last edition held in Ibadan, capital of Oyo State, while the first two held in Lagos.
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Each of the last three editions drew over a hundred boxers out of which an average of 25 made the cut. As customary, each of the boxers adjudged to be the best will have his professional boxing licence paid for by the sponsors and benefit from a fully paid for medical examination. Selected boxers also have the chance to feature at coming editions of GOtv Boxing Night.
Since debuting in 2015, GOtv Boxing NextGen Search, conceived to discover and nurture boxing talents, has produced stars, some of whom have risen quickly to national and sub-regional prominence. Among these are Rilwan “Baby Face” Babatunde, current West African Boxing Union (WABU) welterweight champion and two-time winner of the best boxer award at GOtv Boxing Night; Ridwan “Scorpion” Oyekola, best boxer at GOtv Boxing Night 15; Prince “Lion” Nwoye, Matthew Obinna and Osamudiamen “Chiso” Goodluck.
The programme has been widely commended by the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C), Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame, Oyo State Boxing Association and Ogun State Boxing Association.
Source: G Sport
