Nigeria boxers were the cynosure of all eyes as they proved too strong for other participating African countries at the maiden YUCATECO World Boxing Council (WBC) – Africa Boxing Union (ABU) amateur championship concluded in Lagos on Saturday, falling short with just one bout as they swept 10 out of 11 bouts contested for in different weight categories.
Interestingly, the single bout they lost had no Nigerian in the final otherwise it may have been a deja vu for the country, a total roller coaster.
Eight other African countries participated with 42 boxers across various weight categories at the tournament held from February 6 to 8, 2025 at the Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Hall at the Teslim Balogun stadium, Lagos.
In the 52kg bout, Samuel Dahunsi defeated fellow Nigerian Faruk Osikoya with a 5-0 unanimous decision, while Quam Musefiu ran away with victory over Mayowa Gbadeyan 4-1 in the 56kg category.
The dominance continued as Riliwan Salawu out-classed Uganda’s Shakur Mugambe 5-0 in the 69kg division, just as Abdulramon Abdulwahab also won compatriot, Abioudun Oluwaseun 5-0 in the 64kg bout.
The Nigerian boxers were not done yet as Precious Anine defeated Anuoluwapo Akanni in the 60kg female category, while Aishat Gbadamosi prevailed 5-0 over Nigeria’s Fathia Sulaimon in the 54kg female contest.
Meanwhile, in the last match of the night, Jamiu Saheed produced a masterclass technical knockout (TKO) over Clement Akoumany of Togo in what was a befitting end to the event in the 82kg category for a perfect icing on the cake for Nigeria.
The championship served as a qualifier for the inaugural WBC amateur boxing World cup to be hosted by Mexico later this year.
Speaking after the event, the president of the African Boxing Union, Houcine Houichi, commended YUCATECO and Nigeria for hosting such a successful tournament.
He emphasized the need to have more of such competitions that will provide exposure for young boxers to do well and represent Africa better at major international competitions.
Houichi equally acknowledged Nigeria as a major boxing powerhouse in Africa and in the world while also hoping that the event would inspire more investment in amateur boxing across Africa, further developing the sport.
His words: “I’m indeed delighted with what I have seen here during this championship which portends great future for amateur boxing not just in Nigeria but in Africa in general.
“Championships like this will help the boxers to prepare mentally for international competitions and we hope more sponsors and promoters can take a cue from this by coming to invest in boxing especially at the amateur levels”, he noted.