Sports
Nigerian Female Boxer Challenges Americans
Nigerian-born female boxer, Helen Joseph, popularly known as “The Iron Lady” has challenged her counterparts in the United States to a fight, saying she is ready to knock out her competitor.
The former IBF champion in the featherweight division said during a courtesy visit to the Nigerian Consul General in New York, Mr Benayaogha Okoyen, that she wanted to put Nigeria on the world female boxing map.
Joseph, also nicknamed “The Princess of Africa” in her boxing world, had three different boxing titles: the WBF, IBF, GBU but she confessed her opponents were afraid to come out to fight her.
She ranks among the top in the world of female boxing and has five weight classes, flyweight 115, bantamweight 118, superbantam 112, featherweight 116 and any other super feather weight 129.
“In these categories, all these female boxers are running, they don’t want to fight me. When I was back in Africa, they were reigning all over the U.S. and they were unbeatable.
“But ‘The Iron Lady’ has arrived and everybody has run away, nobody wants to fight. I mean I’m knocking on their doors and they don’t want to come out. What’s wrong with you girls?
“So all these while you have been fighting cheap opponents, now that I have arrived, nobody wants to show face,” Joseph said.
“But I will bring them out because they have what I need, they have all the titles that I desire.
“I will keep collecting those titles from them and pack them because I know they will not take it from me.
“I want that message to go out there and let them to know that I remain the ‘Iron Lady’, the ‘Princess of Africa’ and I fear nobody,” Joseph taunted her competitors.
Joseph awards are: the best fighter of the year 2015, the best fighter of the year 2012 and the best knockout of the year 2017.
According to her, however, there is the need to fight a world title on the Nigerian soil so as to put the name of her country on the world’s boxing map.
“There is no world title in Nigeria right now in boxing. If they say all world titles should line up now, Nigeria is not among because there is no world title in Nigeria now.
The Rivers State-born boxer said in the history of female boxing in West Africa, she was the first woman who had travelled to different countries and won three world titles.
“I also won two awards in boxing and I have fought for two world titles in two countries that I’m sure I won because I knocked down all my opponents but they robbed me because I travelled to their countries.”
Joseph shared her ultimate dream: “One support I want from my government is to promote my world title fight in Nigeria. I want to go back home. I want to fight in my own country.
“I want my country to watch the kind of action and power God has given me. The fight I want Nigeria to sponsor for me is the World Boxing Organisation.
“If I have a sponsorship, I’m supposed to fight on June 10 in New York City. Then I will go back to Nigeria to defend the title.
“So that’s why I want my country to support me so I can fight my opponents on the Nigerian soil and take back what belongs to me.
“I am proud of Nigeria and I love my country. Even when I was in Ghana, I used the Nigerian Passport and everyone asked me to change my passport to Ghana’s passport but I refused.
“I know Ghana loves me and supported me a lot; Ghana is my second country,” she said.
The Nigerian Consul-General, said Nigeria would be very happy to support any of her talented stars like Joseph, to succeed, adding, it will be our pride and joy.
Okoyen added: “We are happy that you are making our country proud, you are making the female world proud and whatever we can do as a Consulate, as Nigerians, as a Government, we will continue to do.
“We will continue to support your activities and others who are making Nigeria proud. Nigeria is proud of the feat you have attained so far. We like your spirit and where you’re going.”
Joseph’s Manager, Devonne Canady, described her talent as superb, adding, they were talking with the Federal, Lagos and Rivers State Governments to sponsor Joseph’s fight.
“She’s the hardest worker that I’ve ever met in boxing and I’ve been in boxing for a long time. She trained hard, I love her and I’m committed to her success,” Canady said.
Prof. Joseph Shipley from Columbia University, said Joseph should be the Anthony Joshua female boxer adding, “she had turned professional, she’s fought for the world title around the world”.
“She is a Champion, she is one of the most feared fighters in the world but she hadn’t had enough promotions.
“Right now, Nigeria has incredible top talents in the arts, in sports around the world and she is of that calibre, she’s a top global athlete.
“She can do a lot, she wants to represent Nigeria. She’s an incredible personality, she’s not just a talent, she’s got charisma. Everybody needs to know she’s a star,” Shipley said.
England captain Harry Kane netted a hat-trick to guide Bayern Munich to an impressive victory against Stuttgart.
Kane’s goals, plus one from Kingsley Coman, helped Bayern end a three-game winless run in all competitions.
They faced a tough task against a Stuttgart side who sat back and limited their chances, leading Vincent Kompany’s side to enter the break frustrated and with the deadlock unbroken.
Bayern eventually found a way past Stuttgart’s steely defence when Kane drilled a low effort into the bottom corner from around 30 yards out after Joshua Kimmich overturned possession.
Former Nigeria goalkeeper, Dosu Joseph, is full of thanks to God after he miraculously survived another life-threatening automobile accident recent at Kara, along the Lagos-Ibadan Express Way, where a heavy-duty truck ran into his SUV.
Narrating his ordeal, the 51-year-old, who guided Nigeria to gold in the Men’s Football Tournament of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, broke the news in a statement on his social media handles on Friday.
“To God be the glory, another death escaped by Grace and Mercy of God. Me and my friend SM were at Enyo Filling Station after Ojodu Berger bus stop to get fuel on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, around 6 p.m. when this MACK truck fully loaded with iron, with registration number LND 470 XX, left the road and crushed my car beyond repairs. Thank God for life,” he stated.
This is the second time the soft-spoken club proprietor will cheat death by a whisker, having been involved in an accident in 1997 that ended his career at 23 and left his spinal cord in bad shape.
He helped Julius Berger win the Nigeria FA Cup in November 1997 shortly a memorable Olympic outing by keeping a clean sheet in the finals against Katsina United. The following year, he was involved in the auto along Ikorodu Road, Lagos, which not only cut his career short but also left him almost paralysed, ending his spell at Serie A club Reggiana.
The former Nigeria international, who also kept goal for Julius Berger FC, said the case has been reported to Isheri Police Station, Ogun State, where the driver is currently detained and the truck also seized.
According to him, the owner of the truck said he can’t fix the badly damaged SUV until after a year.
Ex – Super Eagles of Nigeria, Okwuchukwu Waobikeze has observed that sports development in Nigeria is going down.
According to him, grassroots sports is very important, without it, the administrators cannot get it right. So everybody should key into grassroots sports development, he said.
Waobikeze said this last Wednesday in an interview with sports journalists shortly after the Port Harcourt All Stars Independence football festival (OCTOBERFEST) at the Port Harcourt club, Rivers State.
He explained that for sports administrators to get it right, grassroots development is key. “They should be organising competition at the grassroots level to fish out the young ones for different sporting activities.
“Grassroots sports is very important so the administrators have to go back to the grassroots.
” Sports Development in Nigeria is going down we need to go back to the basics.
“Look at the just concluded Paris Olympics, Nigeria did not win any medal.
” Our football team did not even qualify for the Olympics. We are going down.
” If they should go back to the grassroots, they will get young ones in the games and talents will be developed.
” I started from school games, to youth games before playing for the national team. Now everybody wants to fly board to play professional football and a lot do not know the basics of the game.
” A lot of people did not know the little things about the game, they just want to play. It is not done so,” Waobikeze stated.
Kiadum Edookor