African lightweight champion Oto Joseph and welterweight sensation Rilwan Babatunde top the bill as the 19th edition of GOtv Boxing Night returns to the indoor sports hall of the National Stadium Lagos on Sunday July 14 after brief hiatus while it set Ibadan aglow, Completesports.com reports.
Jenkins Alumona, who heads FlyKite Promotions, while disclosing plans for the 8-bout bill, assured fans that GOtv who have bankrolled the boxing series from inception in 2014 are ready to do even more to improve professional boxing in Nigeria.
The organizers also announced one million naira cash prize for the best boxer of the GOtv Boxing Night 19 courtesy of the chairman Multichoice Nigeria, Chief Adewunmi Ogunsanya SAN.
Rilwan “Babyface” Babatunde who is positioning himself for a possible shot at the African title will face Ghana’s Daniel Lartey in an international welterweight challenge.
ABU lightweight champion, Oto “Joe Boy” Joseph will have to make do with a national challenge contest against Tope “Berinja” Agboola as he prepares for a tantalizing clash against Rilwan Oladosu later in the year.
Joseph who looked unruffled on Tuesday, told Completesports.com he will take on any fighter in his bid to achieve his aim of winning a major title for Nigeria in the shortest possible time.
“A good fighter will not avoid anybody, be he a Nigerian or foreign boxer, I’m ready any time,” Joseph said.
Oladosu, who holds the West African championship in the lightweight category takes on Hammed “Ese Hammed” Ganiyu.
Oladosu had declared in clear terms his intention of taking his career to the next level by snatching the African lightweight title from Joseph anytime they eventually meet.
“My mission is to prove I’m the best lightweight fighter in Nigeria, I don’t care about name, Oto Joseph will surely lose when we meet,” Oladusu who had an impressive amateur stint representing Nigeria boasted at the presentation of the boxers in Lagos on Tuesday.
The GOtv Boxing Night 19 will also feature former ABU featherweight title champion, Waidi “Skoro” Usman, who returns to action when he faces talented Taiwo “Esepo” Agbaje in a national challenge contest.
Another featherweight challenge clash will see Kazeem “The Light” Oliwo square up to Tope “TP Rock” Musa.
Former amateur sensation, Waheed “Showmax” Shogbamu will face Akeem “Sugar Boy” Olaiwola in a light welterweight clash while while Adeyemi “Spirit” Adekanla will take on Isaac “I Star” Chukwudi.
GOtv Boxing Night 19 will be beamed live on Africa’s biggest sport channel, SuperSport, in 47 African countries.
