17th February, 2016
The GOtv Boxing NextGen Search, a hunt for professional boxing talents, kicks off today.
The event, which holds at the Lagos Boxing Hall of Gym, Olatilewa Road, Surulere, Lagos, will run for two days. GOtv Boxing Night is being organised under the auspices of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C) and in partnership with Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame.
According to the organisers, GOtv NextGen Search is conceived to discover boxing talents who are not older than 28. Boxers registered for the event will take part in sparring sessions and will be ranked by accomplished judges who will select the best among them.
Selected boxers will be eligible for medical examination paid for by the sponsors, who will similarly pay for their professional boxing licences.
Those in this category will have added the added bonus of being eligible to attend a sport and medical seminar to be addressed by leading resource persons.
Jenkins Alumona, CEO of Flykite Sports, organisers of GOtv Boxing NextGen Search, explained that the long period of decline left Nigerian boxing with a small field of professional boxers, as many of those who remain active had very few opportunities to fight when they were in their prime.
“We have talented boxers, no doubt. However, they years the sport spent in the doldrums robbed some of our best boxers of the chance to climb when they were at the peak of their powers. It is this situation that GOtv NextGen Search is out to remedy. We want to create a system that grooms younger replacements for those who are ageing and support them,” Alumona said.