THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 24, 2016
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GLOBAL SOCCER\\OTHER SPORTS
L-R: Founder/General Overseer, The Lord's Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministry Pastor Lazarus Muoka in a handshake with Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung, during a courtesy visit to Youth ministry by the Pastor in Abuja recently
Prince Fatai and Joe Boy
GOtv Boxing Night 10
Boxers Talk Tough on Boxing Day Showdown
Ahead of GOtv Boxing Night 10, holding on December 26, boxers billed to fight at the event have started talking tough. The event, slated for the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos, will feature seven bouts. The West African light welterweight title bout coming up at the event has its own history, albeit a short one, of grudge. Ghana’s Raphael “Iron King” Kwabena is seeking to unseat Nigeria’s
Olaide “Fijaborn” Fijabi. His conqueror won via a split decision at GOtv Boxing Night 9. “Fijabi will be on the canvas within a short time,’’ said Kwabena, whose claim was dismissed by the Nigerian as impotent. “He will go back to Ghana wailing. This is a title fight, not a challenge contest and it will be treated as such,’’ he said. Dare “Fighting Machine”
Oyewole, who is paired with Waidi “Skoro” Usman, the man to whom he lost his national title, will seek redemption. The two boxers have also been exchanging words, with Oyewole saying the coming challenge duel would provide the platform to reclaim the title. Another boxer spitting fire is fast rising light welterweight boxer, Rilwan “Baby Face” Babatunde, who boasted that his opponent was already
defeated before the fight. In the biggest fight of the night, Nigeria’s Stanley “Edo Boy” Eribo will confront Meshack Mwankemwa of Tanzania for the African Boxing Union welterweight title. Smartboy had earlier boasted that Edo Boy will see hell and that the crowd at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos, will chant his name when he begins with the Nigerian.
I’ll Beat Joe Boy Like a Baby, Boasts Prince Fatai Organisers promise adequate security Former national lightweight boxing champion, Nurudeen “Prince” Fatai, has dismissed the chances of Oto “Joe Boy” Joseph, defeating him again when they clash at GOtv Boxing Night 10 holding on December 26, at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos. Fatai, who had lost a title fight and a challenge contest to Joe Boy, said he will beat the reigning champion like a child. He blamed his first loss, via a knockout, on a hand injury, before losing his title to Joe Boy. Since their first fight, streams of bad blood had flowed between the two boxers, marked by two near-physical clashes at radio stations.
“This time, he is finished. I will beat him like a baby. He won the first fight because I was injured, got lucky in the second one, but he will be badly beaten in the coming one. He is my boy. His name, Joe Boy, even says it. After beating him at GOtv Boxing Night 10, I will now challenge him to a title fight, so I can regain my title,” said Fatai. GOtv Boxing Night 10 will feature seven fights, including a continental and a sub-regional title. Stanley Eribo of Nigeria will fight Meshack Mwankemwa of Tanzania for the African Boxing Union welterweight title, while Olaide Fijabi will take on Raphael Kwabena of Ghana for the West African
Boxing Union welterweight title. In the featherweight division, reigning national champion, Waidi Usman, will face Dare Oyewole, the man he dethroned as champion. The light heavyweight division will see action provided by Kabiru Towolawi, who is up against Emmanuel Igwe. Another clash in the light welterweight category will bring Rilwan Babatunde against Sikiru Shogbesan. Rilwan Oladosu and Prince Nwoye will do battle in the second lightweight clash of the evening. The best boxer of the evening will go home with N1.5million. Meanwhile, Flykite Promotions, organisers of GOtv
Boxing Night, have put in place adequate security for the Boxing Day showdown. Mr. Jenkins Alumona, Managing Director, Flykite Promotions, assured that fans had nothing to fear when they come for the event. “Security has always been given great attention at every edition of GOtv Boxing Night. We have decided to make the arrangements firmer. Fans, the soul of the sport, needed to be safe to enjoy themselves. One of our partners, KSquare Security, is the leading security firm in the country. KSquare is vastly experienced in the handling of mega events such as GOtv Boxing Night, therefore, there is nothing to fear,” said Alumona.
Billionaire Jackpot Game Debut with NaijaBillionaire NaijaBillionaire has unveiled plans to create gaming experiences that would enrich lives and add value to businesses through innovation, easy access, integrity, partnership and world class processes. Speaking during the official unveiling of the NaijaBillionaire , at Westwood Hotel, Victoria Island the Director General of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Adolphus Ekpe, called on Nigerians to invest in
lottery as a means of contributing to the social well-being of the country. The NLRC boss, who was represented by a director in the Commission, Precious Puanoni, encouraged Nigerians to take part in betting as revenue accrued to the commission would also be used to fund the education and provide social amenities in different parts of the country. Speaking in same vien, a direc-
tor of the company, Lai Labode, said the Billionairejackpot, which is their flagship game was an electronic raffle(eRaffle) game, that will be played by electronically entering purchased raffle ticket into a draw. The eRaffle game, he said, would pay a whopping one billion Naira as its jackpot. Apart from the jackpot, every participant has a chance of winning something. Chairman of the company, Adedotun Sulaiman said, “It is an
electronic wealth redistribution game designed for Nigerians. A game that will create millionaires every month across the country.” He said that the company's entry into the Nigerian gaming industry was aimed at introducing a truly national lottery, create wealth distribution game and establish Nigeria on the gaming global map. “Our foundation is built on trust and transparency,”Sulaiman said.
L-R: Director and Execution Lead/ CSMO, NaijaBillio#aire Limited, Mr. Lai Labode; Director, Prince Adesola Adesanya; Director, Mr. Jacobus Classens and representative of Director General, Mr. Precious Puanoni, during the press briefing by the Naijabillio#aire Limited, in Lagos
‘Products of HTTA will Form Future Eagles’ The management of Help The Talent Football Academy, HTTA, says the product of the academy will be the future of Nigeria's Super Eagles based on the exposure of its coaches to modern techniques of coaching. Its Director, Samuel Ojo, made this statement recently after a five- day refresher course for the academy's coaches at the National Stadium, Surulere where over 10 football coaches participated in the course handled by former Nottingham Forest player, Chelsea FC, Arsenal coach, Chris Mcqinn. Ojo, who is based in United Kingdom, said the positive reactions of the academy's football coaches to Mcqinn's method of teaching, was an indication that the academy's players would stand out among other football players in the country based on the acquisition of modern coaching techniques which he believed would go a long way to boost their career and also to build a virile football career in the players. The academy's priority, according to Ojo, is to be a reference point to other football academies in Nigeria and also to build crop of young football players who in a couple of years would be among top rated football players in the world. He believed that the course which would help to build a lucrative career in the coaches, was imperative since the knowledge acquired through the course would help the academy coaches to produce one of the Africa's talented football players who would compete for honors with top football players, adding that some of the academy's players would soon embark on a training tour of United Kingdom. The academy's female coach, Chinasa Mandy Ukandu, said the course was one of the best training she attended recently as it has help her to learn new football techniques. While regarding the exercise as an eye opener, Ukandu, who thanked the management of the academy to feature in the exercise, said it had enable her to understand the need to motivate her players to always be in good form.
NANF Ratifies Appointment of Acting Chairman The General Assembly of the National Association of Nigerian Footballers has endorsed the appointment of Larry Kubeinje as the association’s acting president. This was contained in a communique signed after the body’s Annual General Assembly held at Bridgelink Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos on December 16. The communique reads in part: “The General Assembly delegates unanimously ratified the appointment made by immediate past president, Harrison Jalla, which endorsed Larry Kubeinje’s appointment as the acting president of NANF and other principal officers. “The delegates also supported all actions and activities of the Kubeinje led NANF in its resolves to champions the cause of improving the welfare of all its members.” The delegates indeed charged the new leadership to be focused on sustainable projects and schemes that will improve the deplorable status of footballers in the country while contributing its quota to the development of football in Nigeria. no fewer than 17 members were present at this year’s meeting and they include, Femi Abioye, Clement Temile, Monday Odiaka, Udobia Udobia, Segun Oguns among others.
El Marino Urges Nigerians to Participate in Sporting Activities The Team Manager of El Marino Sports Club, Seyi Adefarati, has called on Nigerians to imbibe the culture of healthy living by participating in physical exercises and sports. Adefarati made the appeal during the 2016 end of year party of the club which took place at the Funplex Amusement
Park, Centre for Management Development (CMD) road, Lagos. The fun-filled event afforded members and their families the opportunity of having fun. While the parents engaged in dancing competition, the children participated in various games provided by the amusement
park. In his opening remark, the team manager commended members of the association for taking care of their spiritual and physical needs and appearances. He promised that in the year 2017, his executive committee will do all it could, to enhance the participation of members
in various sporting activities. He also used the opportunity to urge Nigerians not to abandon healthy living. According to him, ‘all Nigerians especially adults above 40 years of age should make it a point of duty to eat well, sleep well and also participate in one form of sporting activity or the other.
L-R; Head of ICT and Operations, Billionaire Bet, Mr. Sunday Owoeye; Head of Sales, Mr. Adole Kenneth; and Head of Finance, Mr. Emmanuel Dibie, at the launch of premium sport platform, held at Lekki, in Lagos…recently PHOTO: SUNDAY ADIGUN