Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial Boxing Gym
Sitting on an expansive compound in Oko-Oba in Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State is Nigeria’s most modern boxing facility, the Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial Boxing Gym (MOMBG).
MOMBG, conceived as Nigeria’s factory of elite-level boxers, is the latest installment of GOtv Nigeria’s intervention to take Nigerian boxing to new heights. The intervention, launched in 2014 with the first edition of GOtv Boxing Night, has sparked a revival of a sport that was gasping. With the injection of millions of naira, on a sustained basis, boxing has risen from the canvas, creating new superstars and reclaiming enormous fans’ interest. GOtv Boxing Night has grown to become Africa’s premier boxing show, with the sponsor’s further intervention birthing GOtv Boxing NextGen Search, a scheme to unearth and polish boxing gems.
The facility is named after Mrs. Mojisola Ogunsanya, the late wife of Chief Adewunmi Ogunsanya (SAN), Chairman of MultiChoice Nigeria and GOtv Boxing, as well as Patron of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C).
The gym, which accommodates 30 boxers and five coaches at a time, is a fully air-conditioned facility with equipment such standard treadmills, boxing reflex bags, punchbags, wall-mounted mirrors, speed bags, wall bags as well boxing gears such as sparring mitts, headgears, groin protectors, wrist wraps and gloves. In addition, it has a functional office, private bedrooms for coaches and boxers, a modern kitchen, 40KVA generator, board games, satellite television as well as internet for off-the-ring activities.
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The serenity of its location, an exclusive residential neighbourhood, makes it the perfect pre-bout preparatory facility for both local and foreign boxers with fight dates in the country.
The gym, along with continuous investments in boxing promotions that have been giving Nigerian boxers exposure through GOtv Boxing Night and GOtv Boxing NextGen Search are eloquent testimonies to GOtv Nigeria’s support of Nigerian boxing.
The fruits of these efforts can be seen in the progress Nigerian boxers have made on the continent and outside, things that boxers and boxing administrators did not think were possible some eight years ago, when boxers earned pittance for their endeavour and had access to rudimentary facilities to prepare for fights, which took place very infrequently.
Dr. Rafiu Ladipo, President, Nigerian Boxing Board of Control, praised GOtv Nigeria for investing in the gym, saying it will go a long way in furthering the development of Nigerian boxing. He also called on other corporate organisations to borrow a leaf from GOtv Nigeria.
“We need world-class gyms for our boxers and sportsmen to train and be at par with their counterparts in other parts of the world. With the Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial Boxing Gym, Nigerian boxers will be kept in shape for the battles ahead of them,” he said.
