Sports
Scorpion Eyes N1m Best Boxer Prize
National Super Featherweight champion and knockout specialist, Ridwan “Scorpion” Oyekola, declared his intention to claim the N1million cash prize for the best boxer at GOtv Boxing Night 20 holding on Saturday, at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos. The prize is attached to the Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial Trophy for the best boxer.
Scorpion, who is billed to face Sikiru “Omo Iya Eleja” Shogbesan, a corps member, in a challenge duel, said he intends to announce his qualities to the whole of Africa through the fight and walk away with cash prize. Scoprion, who won the prize at GOtv Boxing Night 15 and emerged runner-up at GOtv Boxing 13, said he is confident of winning again.
“I won it once and came second once. This time, I’m sure of winning. I have prepared well and Shogbesan will be in trouble. I know he is a graduate, who is participating in the national youth service programme, but boxing is not big grammar. On Saturday, he’d realise this,” Scorpion said.
The bout is one of the nine scheduled for the event, which will be headlined by the World Boxing Federation (WBF) Intercontinental heavyweight title fight between Onoriode “Godzilla” Ehwariemi of Nigeria and Ariel “Chiquito” Baracamonte of Argentina.
Three other title fights are slated for the night. They are the West African Boxing Union (WABU) lightweight title bout between defending champion, Nigeria’s Rilwan “Real One” Oladosu, and Erick Quarm of Ghana; the WABU welterweight title bout between the reigning champion, Nigeria’s Rilwan “Baby Face” Babatunde and Ghana’s Sanitor Agbenyo; and a national bantamweight title bout between Sadiq Adeleke and Opeyemi “Sense” Adeyemi.
In other fights, Taiwo “Esepo” Agbaje will take on Olusegun Moses in a national featherweight challenge bout, with reigning national light heavyweight champion, Adewale “Masevex” Masebinu, taking on Olanrewaju Segun in a challenge duel. Alaba “Eylbow” Omotola and Bolaji “Fight to Finish” Abdullahi will go head-to-head in a national lightweight challenge, while Cynthia “Omo Bobby” Ogunsemilore will face Aminat Yekini in an all-female national super featherweight challenge bout.
The event will also feature live musical performances from “Bolanle” crooner, Zlatan; “Up to something” singer, Mayorkun, and “Mercy of the Lord” performer, Oritsefemi.
The best boxer at the show will win a cash prize of N1million alongside the Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial Trophy.
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.