Shehu Sani, Mitchel Obi, Ricardo Agbo others admonish boxers on self discipline, drug abstinence /contract benefits at YUCATECO Boxing League seminar

Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, veteran Journalist, Dr. Mitchel Obi, renowned actor, Ricardo Agbo, Dr. Buky Bojuwoye of Lagos State Sports Commission, Sports Marketing Expert, Ade Johnson, Afro Pop musician, Small Doctor and other important personalities have advised the country’s pugilist to have self esteem and avoid indulgence in banned steroids to enable them not only make it in the noble act of self defense but become a reference point and role models to the teeming youths of the country.

They gave the charge at the just concluded YUCATECO Boxing League Season 2 seminar held Friday, July, 26, 2024 at the conference room of the National Institute For Sports (NIS) Lagos.

The well attended seminar with the theme ‘The Making of a Champion’ saw the resource persons taking their turn to advise the boxers and coaches on how to be successful in the profession ahead of the Season 2 of the YUCATECO Boxing League.

In his presentation tagged ‘ Making Champions of Nigerian Youths’ the keynote speaker, Senator Sani who said he was inspired by Mohammed Ali advised the boxers to always realize that for one to be a champion, he must believe in himself.

According to him, the country boasts of talented fighters who needs the encouragement of government and corporate organisations to succeed but expressed regrets that government believes only in rewarding sports men when they bring glory to the country but charged the boxers not to be discouraged because with determination and hard work, they’ll be successful.

The activist, author, publisher, poet and social crusader while regretting that sports in Nigeria has been systematically destroyed by politicians berated the government for placing much emphasis on football to the detriment of other sports even as he described boxing as a unique sports that has a lot of role to play in the country’s economy and image.

” I must commend the CEO of YUCATECO Boxing League, Omonlei Yakubu Imadu for the wonderful initiative he has taken in moving grassroots boxing forward in the country.
” The fact that he’s doing this wonderful job is commendable and our boxers will benefit immensely from the seminar. What I want to tell our boxers is that they must have self esteem and believe that they have the capacity to become champions like others.

” But, I must say that it’s regrettable that our government only pays attention to football at the detriment of other sports which have the capacity to win more medals for the country at international competitions.

“It beats my imagination that a small country like Jamaica wins about eight gold medals at the Olympics while Kenya dominates long distance races but a country as big as Nigeria manages to win a silver and bronze which is unfortunate.

” There is need for government at all levels to invest in boxing and emulate late Cuban President, Fidel Castro who put his country in the world map of boxing and recently Saudi Arabia that is using boxing to promote tourism in their country”, he explained.

Speaking on ‘Making a branded star Athlete’, renowned actor Ricardo Agbo informed the boxers that for them to be a brand, they must work very hard and comport themselves noting that no corporate organisation will do business with a brand ambassador that is associated with scandal.

” I know that some of you will be aiming to be brand ambassadors. But it’s equally important for you to know that you must work hard to achieve it.

“As a brand ambassador, you must be disciplined, comport yourselves and avoid those negative things that will make corporate organisations turn their back on you because no organisation will like to have a brand ambassador that is tainted with scandal as that will affect their corporate image.

Sports Marketing Expert, Ade Thompson who spoke on ‘ The benefits of signing a mutual contract’, while advising the pugilists to be mindful of contracts they sign, took time to explain the various contracts and their benefits just as he advised them not to rush into signing any contract they don’t understand.

” In boxing like any other sports, there’s need for you to sign a contractual agreement with your promoter.

“It’s equally important for you to refuse signing any contract that you don’t understand or that’s written in a foreign language that’s not familiar to you unless the terms are interpreted to you in English or the language you understand, so that you don’t end up in slavery”, he admonished.

In his lecture, titled ‘ Benefits of playing a league as an athlete and club’, veteran journalist and former AIPS Vice President, Dr. Mitchel Obi submitted that with a league, all those who enjoy boxing will come and invest in it in terms of sponsorship/ partnership which will help the sports grow.
He stated that apart from this, the league will bring about improvement in the game because at the end of every league year, the organisers will go back to the drawing board, take a holistic look at what they’ve done and make amendments.

Obi who was part of the technical team that drafted the decree in 1990 that gave birth to Nigeria Football Premier League, expressed happiness that the boxing league is being championed by YUCATECO; saying that the organisation needs all the necessary support to succeed and move Nigerian boxing to another pedestal.

Dr. Bukola Bojuwoye, Director of Sports Medicine, Lagos State Sports Commission speaking on ‘ The effects and implications of using performance enhancing drugs in sports, took time to explain to the boxers the implications of doping which he says will not only lead to their being stripped of their medals but disgrace and psychological problems.

The Sports Medical practitioner while reminding the participants that both athletes and coaches now face penalty for failing drug test, advised them to always keep themselves abreast of latest prohibited drugs as well as make themselves available for drug test in order not to fall victims of drug ban.

In a pep talk he gave to the boxers, Afro- Pop musician, Adekunle Temitope popularly known as ‘Small Doctor’ reminded the boxers that boxing is not for touts just as he advised them to emulate him who grew up on the streets but has used music to achieve stardom.

” I want boxers to realize that boxing is not a sports for touts because with determination, you can become a celebrity through the game. I have visited 19 countries and in each of these countries, I always make out time to go to a boxing ring and do some training.
” It’s equally important I make you understand that if not for my involvement in music, I would have been a boxer.
“You should also have it at the back of your mind that If someone like me who grew up on the streets can become a celebrity through music, you can equally do it through boxing”, noted the musician who is the proprietor of Omo Better Boxing Club.

In his goodwill message to the seminar, Lagos State Governor who was represented by his Special Adviser on Arts, Culture and Tourism, Idris Alegbe, expressed the state government’s appreciation with YUCATECO for the first of it’s kind seminar in the country promising that Lagos State is ready to partner with it in not only moving boxing forward but promoting tourism in the state.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Chief Executive Officer of YUCATECO, Hon. Omonlei Yakubu Imadu explained that his vision is to bring back the glory of boxing in the country as well as make the sports grow like in the United States and Europe.

” When I came back from the United States two years ago, I carried out a research and discovered that our boxers have no hope and the sports itself does not have any blueprint for development.
” In embarking on the league as is done in the United States and Europe, we wanted to make our boxers use their talents to make decent living and contribute to the development of the country and I believe this seminar will be of immense help to our pugilists as it will enable them acquire more knowledge about the sports as they prepare for Season 2 of the league”, he concluded.

Highlight of the seminar was the induction of YUCATECO League of patrons