…Kadijat Ajishola the latest to fall in the ring at SEC Centre
- By Maxwell Kumoye
Nigeria’s hopes of winning a boxing medal at the 23rd Commonwealth Games in Glasgow are rapidly fading after another disappointing day in the ring saw a third boxer bow out of the competition.
With half of the country’s six-man boxing contingent already eliminated at the first hurdle, the pressure is now firmly on the three remaining fighters to rescue what is quickly turning into a disastrous campaign.
The latest casualty is 19-year-old Kadijat Ajishola, who suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat to Wales’ Helen Jones in the women’s 54kg Round of 16. Despite a spirited performance,
Ajishola could not do enough to keep Nigeria’s medal dream alive, becoming the third Nigerian boxer to exit the Games.
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Her elimination follows the early departures of Ayomide Foly Hassan and David Akintola.
Hassan was the first Nigerian to fall, losing 4-0 on points to Lesotho’s Refiloe in the men’s 70kg Round of 32. The defeat ended his Commonwealth Games campaign before it could gain any momentum.
Akintola, one of Nigeria’s highly-rated prospects in the men’s 80kg division, also failed to progress after a disappointing 4-1 loss to Tanzania’s Yusef Lucasi Changalewa in the Round of 32 at the SEC Centre.
With three defeats from three completed bouts, Nigeria’s boxing team has endured a nightmare start in Glasgow.
Only three Nigerian boxers remain in contention, and they now carry the nation’s slim hopes of preventing a medal-less outing in the boxing event. Another defeat would leave Nigeria empty-handed in a sport that has historically delivered memorable performances on the Commonwealth stage.
