At GOTV Boxing Night 30, six bumper clashes promise to excite all boxing enthusiasts with two title fights taking centre stage with the best boxer on the night set to take home the Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial Trophy and N1m cash prize. PUNCH Sports Extra’s PETER AKINBO takes a look at the six bouts taking place on Boxing Day at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos State.
Taiwo Olowu vs Alidu Sulemana
National welterweight champion, Taiwo ‘Gentle Boy’ Olowu, is set to battle Ghanaian boxer, Alidu Sulemana, for the West African Boxing Union super-welterweight title following a change of opponent.
Olowu was billed to fight another Ghanaian boxer, Michael Ansah, who pulled out of the fight for personal reasons.
New opponent, Sulemana is unbeaten with a record of 10 wins and eight knockouts from his 10 professional fights, while Olowu has a record of 16 wins, 11 knockouts and two defeat from his 18 professional fights.
This would be a tricky fight for both opponents. While Sulemana is unblemished in the pros, Olowu has a lot of experience and knockout power to make the difference.
Sifon Iwatt vs Saheed Azeez
In the second title fight of the night, Sifon ‘Best’ Iwatt will clash with Saheed Azeez and one of them will be crowned the new national super flyweight champion.
Iwatt, whose impressive performance was lustily cheered by fans at GOtv Boxing Night 29, holds a record of three wins in three fights all ending by way of knockouts.
“I don’t know who Azeez is. He’s not the kind of opponent that can scare me. I see this as a big opportunity to become a national champion. This would be the first title of my career. Winning a title at the first attempt is a good way to start,” the 26-year-old said.
In three professional bouts, Azeez has won one, drawn one and lost one and is seen as the underdog but he is also eager to get his first career title in the matchup.
“It’s normal that people don’t know me. His nickname is ‘Best’, so this is the ‘Best’ opportunity to announce myself to Nigerians. It’s a title fight, not a joke. Being the best is not by name, it’s by showing it. That’s what I will teach him on Boxing Day,” Azeez said.
Abdulafeez Osoba vs Christopher Ucheji
Abdulafeez ‘Big Name’ Osoba and Christopher Ucheji will battle each other for the second time this year at GOTV Boxing Night 30.
Osoba won the first bout by unanimous decision following six rounds of action at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium and he believes that the fight at TBS will also end in his favour.
Since he turned pro this year after winning the silver medal at the 2019 African Games in Morocco, Osoba has won all his three bouts, two of them by KOs and Ucheji is the only man to go the distance with the 28-year-old.
“We fought in May and I defeated him. It was a unanimous decision, and I will do it again. I am in a better shape than when we met earlier, which means he should expect a tougher match,” Osoba said.
His 23-year-old Kenyan opponent made his debut against him and will be keen to avoid a similar result in his second professional bout.
Ayanfe Adeoye vs Ahmed Ganiyu
Ayanfe Adeoye is set to trade punches with Ahmed Ganiyu in a national light-welterweight fight. Knockout specialist Adeoye is the heavy favourite for the clash as he has claimed all his seven victories by KOs with only one loss on his record since he made his pro debut in 2021.
None of the 23-year-old’s wins have ever gone past the fourth round and he will be keen to continue that trend against Ganiyu at the most anticipated event of the season.
Arabambi Ojo vs Ibrahim Opeyemi
Arabambi Ojo and Ibrahim ‘Golden Boy’ Opeyemi will lock gloves in a national bantamweight challenge bout in one of the undercards of the night.
Ojo will be searching for a second professional victory to improve his record of one win and two losses while Opeyemi will be eager to bounce back from the loss in his last fight and get back to winning ways.
Opeyemi holds a record of four wins, three knockouts and one loss in the pros and the 21-year-old will be eager to continue his trend of not letting fights go past the third round.
Bolatito Oluwole vs Blessing Abisoye
In the female category, national female cruiserweight champion, Bolatito ‘Black Tito’ Oluwole duels with Blessing Abisoye in a national challenge fight.
October last year, Abisoye lost to “Black Tito’, via a unanimous decision, setting the stage for a grudge match against her opponent, who claimed the national title at GOtv Boxing Night 29.
Oluwole became the first woman to win the best boxer trophy after defeating Celina ‘Pretty Assassin’ Agwu, via a unanimous decision, to win the national female cruiserweight title.
Abisoye has a record of one win and one defeat from her two professional fights, while ‘Black Tito’ has won all of her eight professional bouts, with a record of five knockouts.
Oluwole has boasted that her aim is to retain the trophy at the 30th edition of the boxing showpiece saying, “It was the best night of my career so far, and I would love to have that feeling again. My aim is to win the Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial Trophy again, and of course, the cash prize that comes with it,” she said.
