I’m happy to be home, says WBA- NABA Super Welterweight Champion, Nwokolo
Newly crowned WBA- NABA Super Welterweight Champion, Emeka Nwokolo said he’s happy coming back to the country to present his belts to the regulatory boxing authorities and his fans in Nigeria.
Emeka, son of Charles Nwokolo the boxer whose ring name is “Young Dick Tiger” and was a member of the Nigerian Boxing team that represented the country at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, U.S.A.stated this Tuesday, July, 16, 2024 when he presented his belts to leadership of Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C) in their office at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
According to the United States of America based boxer who is under the tutelage of his father, he decided to come home and present the belts to the NBB of C to formally inform them about his exploits in the ring and also serve as a role model to talented young boxers in the country.
” My coming back to my country with the belt is to show the leadership of the NBB of C their newest champion who have done the country proud abroad and to also serve as inspiration to other fighters in the country.
” And I’m quite impressed with the reception accorded to me by the President of the sanctioning body Dr. Rafiu Ladipo, the Secretary General, Remi Aboderin and all my fans and this will spur me to do more for my fatherland”, he stressed
Nwokolo who had earlier donated some boxing kits and gloves to fighters, explained that he took the decision as his little way of paying back to the community that made him and also encourage boxers to excel with quality gloves.
“My decision to donate some boxing equipment to some of our boxers was because when I came back, I was not satisfied with some of the gloves they were training with and so I decided to give back to the community that made me to encourage them in their training and the profession”, he stated.
The champion who said he started as a footballer before injury sidelined him which made him take to boxing, posited that as a young boy growing up in the street of Benin City, Edo State, he has always dreamed to be a champion stating that the present title he won will spur him to go for more titles in his professional career.
Receiving the champion, President of NBB of C, Dr. Rafiu Ladipo commended him for doing the country proud in the United States noting that with the enabling environment created by the sanctioning body, Nigeria will be regularly producing world champions
Also speaking, Secretary General of NBB of C who also doubles as President of West African Boxing Union (WABU), explained that the board under their watch has produced and will continue to produce many world champions.
” I’m happy with what Nwokolo under the training of his father has done and am equally excited that he came back to the country to present the belt to us which is a welcome development.
” What this shows is that we’ve raised another champion that’s taking after his father and very soon we expect him to fight in Nigeria for his fans to see him in action.
Aboderin likened the progress of Nigerians boxers all over the world to the enabling environment that has been created by the board which led to many fights now being staged in the country and afforded the boxers not only to sharpen their skills but get opportunity to be ranked by the various world boxing bodies.
On how to make professional boxing better, he appealed for government support; saying that the support could come in terms of creating a conducive atmosphere for the sports to thrive and asking corporate organisations to invest in the game .
” There is need for our government at all levels to start showing interest in boxing and give us all the necessary support to move the game forward. I’ve been to Ghana where I saw their President at the ring side watching boxing and that’s what I want to see happen here”, he concluded.
