Sports
Enyimba Wrestling Championship Rescheduled For Oct 11
The millennium wrestling championship tagged “The Battle at Enyimba” billed for the Enyimba Stadium yesterday which would have seen African Wrestling Heavyweight sensation, Osita Offor (a.k.a Ultimate Commander) defend his title against Joe Legend of Canada has been postponed.
The championship which would see about 16 world class wrestlers, including South Africa-based, Nigerian-born boxing champion, Kilmanjaro, take Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State by storm, will now hold on October 11, 2009.
Spokesman for The Ultimate Wrestling and Charity Organisation (TUWCO), promoters of the championship, and Nollywood megastar, Zack Orji, said the original date has to be changed to give Ultimate Commander time to recover from injuries he suffered during his recent fight in Scotland.
“As you all know, the Battle at Enyimba was originally scheduled for the 23rd of August, 2009, being yesterday. But because of the closeness between that date and the date of the fight which just held in Scotland and the fact that he (Ultimate Commander) sustained injuries and will need sometime to recuperate, we have had to chose a date in conjunction with the Federation of World Wrestling Professionals (WWP) Thunderstrike in South Africa and finally we have all agreed on the date on which the battle at Enyimba, the clash of the titans, would be held at the Enyimba Stadium, Aba.
“In consultation with His Excellency (Governor Theodore Orji), that date has been finalised and we are happy to announce that the Battle at Enyimba will be on the 11th of October, 2009, at the Enyimba Stadium in Aba, Abia State.” Orji told newsmen in Umuahia at the weekend.
He said the new date would give room for Ultimate Commander to undergo medical treatment as well as prepare adequate for the fight to be able to retain the African Heavyweight Championship crown he is currently holding.
“As you know, his title would be on the line on that day. He is going to defend his title and it is our hope, it is also our confidence that he is going to successfully defend his title on that date. And the title is the WWP African Heavyweight Wrestling Championship Belt and he is going to wrestle Joe Legend of Canada,” Orji added.
Other title fights which would feature Kilmanjaro and no fewer than 16 world class wrestlers would add glamour to the Enyimba “war.”
“Kilmanjaro will also be wrestling on that day. He will also be defending his own title on that day which is All Africa Championship. On that day, during the Battle at Enyimba, there will also be other fights featuring wrestlers under the WWP Thunder strike. There will be about 16 wrestlers coming from different parts of the world.
“WWP is the Number One wrestling federation in Africa and Number Three in the world. They have affiliations within the WWP even in the United States. They will be parading their wrestlers on that date and these wrestlers will be wrestling on that date,” Orji explained.
“We are looking forward to the battle at Enyimba. It is not just about the Ultimate Commander. This is about Abia State; this about Nigeria. If you watched the fight in the UK, the Nigerian flag was hoisted. This means that this man went to the United Kingdom as an ambassador of this country and we are very happy that he made us proud. So this event is one that everybody must contribute something from his position of strength and make sure it is a resounding success,” he appealed.
Also speaking, Ultimate Commander, said he has been bolstered by the support he has gotten from the government and the people to face the forthcoming challenge with determination and hope.
He confirmed that he sustained injuries in his last fight in Scotland which he said was healing fast. “The injury I sustained is gradually leaving because my body is not his home but then the pain is so much on me that I cannot continue this championship at this time. But still I have to do some physical examination by some doctors in America, after which I will still have about two, three weeks to train,” Offor said
“The Battle at Enyimba is going to be a memorable championship. It is going to be a fight that the whole world will stand up for Nigeria and it is going to be another fight that will convince everybody that has been having doubt about wrestling because what we are doing is re-branding wrestling. Those that are not strong enough, they should leave the ring. My kind of fighting is not the type people say has been arranged,” the Abia-born wrestler said.
Sports
NCF targets success after W’Cup outing
Nigeria’s Junior Female Yellow Greens ended the tournament as the sixth-best nation, creating huge upsets against test-playing nations New Zealand and Ireland.
The team’s historic performance drew more attention to the game in Nigeria, and Akpata believes the NCF can achieve more by fostering strategic partnerships with brands and relevant stakeholders ahead of subsequent tournaments.
Having started the year on a bright note with the Junior Female Yellow Greens outing, NCF presidents noted that it was in line with the board’s strategic plans for the year.
“We redefined expectations as we went along and these girls deserve all the accolades they are getting. Having said that, this is not just happening by chance, it is four years in the making,” Akpata said at the reception organised by the NCF for the team last Friday.
“We have six targets. For the female team, we want to break into the top 20 in the world and the top 25 in the world for the male so that we can go and play in the Challenge League where we can play the ODI, that’s a different status.”
According to Akpata, the U-19 women’s team performance has aided the NCF’s plan to sell itself to potential partners.
“One of the key things again is that we now have a brand we can sell so we are going commercial. Let people also recognise that they can invest in the cricket brand. Before the World Cup, we got two requests from international companies including one in Costa Rica saying they want to have their names on our outfit. But I paused and thought I’d rather prefer a Nigerian brand. That’s what these girls have done. Hopefully, we will launch the Nigerian Super League this year as well.”
Other Nigerian national teams will also be in the mix to qualify for more World Cups this year, beginning with the men’s U-19 team, which will host other countries in Lagos by April. The men’s senior team are billed for the final phase of the men’s T20 World Cup qualifiers in November.
Sports
IBF Cancels purse bid for Ajagba, Bakole elimination bout
The International Boxing Federation has cancelled its scheduled Thursday purse bid hearing for the heavyweight title elimination bout between Nigeria’s Efe Ajagba and Congo’s Martin Bakole.
The fight, which was previously announced by Riyadh Season head Turki Alalshikh for a May 2 Ring Magazine show in New York City, will now likely proceed through private negotiations between the fighters’ promoters.
The scrapping of the purse bid indicates that the IBF has removed the fight from its usual bidding process, where different promoters would compete for the rights to stage the bout.
This suggests that sufficient evidence was presented to the governing body to allow the promoters to negotiate terms privately.
This development doesn’t necessarily affect the status of the fight itself but rather changes how the financial aspects will be determined. Instead of promoters submitting sealed bids to the IBF, BOXXER and Top Rank can now directly negotiate the terms for their respective fighters.
There is also a chance that this means that the fight will be cancelled or indefinitely postponed.
Both heavyweights feature in The Ring’s top 10 rankings, with BOXXER-promoted Bakole at No.6 and Top Rank’s Ajagba at No.10.
The winner of the bout will become the mandatory challenger for IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, who defends his title against former WBO champion Joseph Parker on February 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Bakole (21-1, 16 KOs) enhanced his reputation with a stunning fifth-round knockout of previously unbeaten American prospect Jared Anderson last August at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. The victory marked his 10th consecutive win since his October 2018 stoppage loss to Michael Hunter.
The 33-year-old Congolese knockout artist, now based in Scotland, has been seeking major opportunities since his impressive victory over Anderson on Riyadh Season’s first venture into the US market.
Ajagba (20-1, 14 KOs), a 2016 Rio Olympics super heavyweight representative, has won his last five fights since suffering his lone professional defeat to Frank Sanchez in October 2021.
The Nigerian pugilist, who now trains in Houston, Texas, secured the biggest win of his career in his last outing, earning a split decision victory over Guido Vianello in Corpus Christi, Texas last April.
Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs), ranked No.2 by The Ring, awaits the winner of the elimination bout, as he prepares to defend his title against third-ranked Parker (35-3, 24 KOs) in Saudi Arabia.
Sports
Aruna, renew rivalry at Singapore Smash 2025
Quadri Aruna
The intense rivalry between Nigeria and Brazil in table tennis will be reignited as two of the best players from these nations, Quadri Aruna and Hugo Calderano, clash in the second round of the Men’s Singles at the WTT Singapore Smash 2025.
Exactly one year after their last encounter at the 2024 WTT Finals in Doha, the Nigerian star will face off against the Brazilian sensation in what promises to be an explosive match between continental champions.
Calderano holds a slight edge, having won two of their three previous meetings. However, Aruna has the psychological advantage, having triumphed in their most recent match in Doha.
Aruna began his campaign at the Singapore Smash 2025 with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over South Korea’s Oh Jungsun.
Despite losing the first game 8-11, the Nigerian turned the tide with an 11-8 win in the second game. The third game was closely contested, but Aruna’s fast-paced shots during the rally secured an 11-9 win.
On his part, Calderano dominated Portugal’s Marcos Freitas with a swift 3-0 win in the first round, securing his spot in the second round, where he will battle the African champion today.
With the exits of Egypt’s trio Omar Assar, Mohamed El-Beiali, and Youssef Abdelaziz, Aruna remains the only surviving African in the Men’s Singles.
In the Women’s Singles, Egypt’s Hana Goda celebrated her 17th birthday with a first-round win over Spain’s Maria Xiao.
Competing in her fifth WTT Grand Smash event, Goda aimed for her first-ever singles win on this prestigious stage. Facing Xiao for the first time, the Spaniard took the early lead, but Goda fought back to win 7-11, 13-11, 11-5, 12-10, marking another milestone in her budding career.
However, her compatriots Dina Meshref and Mariam Alhodaby were eliminated in the first round, leaving Goda as the only surviving African in the Women’s Singles. Goda will face China’s Ma Kuai in the second round, aiming to extend her stay in Doha.
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