A full-blown war of words has erupted among boxers scheduled to participate at GOtv Boxing Night 18, holding on Sunday at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium (formerly Liberty), Ibadan.
From Ghana’s Success “Brave Warrior” Tetteh, the challenger for the African Boxing Union (ABU) lightweight title, to the trio of young boxers making their professional debuts at the event, the exchanges between them and their opponents have been infernal. Tetteh who, last week, said he is the man to end the unbeaten run of his opponent and incumbent champion, Nigeria’s Oto “Joe Boy” Joseph, has restated his vow, adding that Joe Boy will not last the distance.
“Initially, I thought of making the fans enjoy the fight for much longer, but I’ve concluded that there is no point doing that. I need to finish him off quickly, go back to bed and rest enough for my trip back home. I also have my eyes on the N1million cash prize provided by the sponsors,” he said.
The champion has been anything, but reticent, saying that Tetteh will know what will hit him, but will be unable to do anything about it.
“There is a reason I’m the ABU champion as well as the Commonwealth (Africa) lightweight champion. It is because I’m good at this sport. The mouth with which he’s boasting will be reconstructed and when he looks at himself in the mirror, he will imagine he’s another person. It will be war,” he said with undisguised rage.
A similar threat was issued by Akeem “Dodo” Sadiku and Ridwan ‘Scorpion” Oyekola, who will fight Ekpresso Djamihou of the Republic of Benin and Taofeek “Taozon” Bisuga respectively. Dodo, a lightweight king, boasted that his opponent will be packed, like frozen turkey, back to his country at the end of their international challenge duel. The young Oyekola, who is seeking his first title, has vowed to sting the long-reigning national super featherweight champion, Bisuga, into submission.
“I’m the Scorpion. I sting until my opponents fall. The title is mine. His reign is over,” he bragged. Bisuga’s response, a cross between jest and fury, was that he is immune to a scorpion’s sting. Wagging a finger, he warned his opponent that he faces the prospect of vicious punching, adding that the fight has come too early for him.
Even the West African Boxing Union (WABU) welterweight champion, Rilwan “Baby Face”, a man of few words, joined in, vowing to severely punish Ganiyu “Energy” Kolawole during their challenge bout. The quartet of Morufu “Oloke” Owolabi, Jamiyu “Sunshine” Akande, Issac “I Star” Chukwudi and Jubril “Terrible” Olalekan spoke in the same vein.
The best boxer at the event, which will be beamed live on SuperSport across Africa, will go home with a cash prize of N1million attached to the Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial Trophy.
