It was a night of glitz and felicitation at the Yucateco headquarters in Lagos at the weekend as the reigning Yucateco Pan-African Title Holders Abdulwahab Abdulrahman and Precious Anine, were decorated with the prestigious Pan-African Title Belt.
It will be recalled that Nigeria’s Precious Anine defeated Egypt’s Hagar Elsayed in the first three rounds of their 60kg contest before the Egyptian champion threw in the towel in the 4th round. The title fight held in Uzebba Luleha, in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State, in September also saw Nigeria’s Abdulwahab Abdulrahman secure a 5-0 unanimous victory against Mostafa Hafez of Egypt in their 63.5kg brawl.
At a reception held in Lagos in honour of both boxers, the pugilists had a meet and greet session with their fans, who turned out in their numbers to celebrate the historic feat. An elated Previous said it was a night she would forever remember as the fans sang her praises as she moved around with her title belt on her shoulder.
“What has happened here today is a further call for me to work even harder; having this number of persons sing my praise got me so emotional at some point, and I would like to assure everyone, including my friends and family, that I will bring more glory to our beloved country Nigeria in boxing”.
The Most Valuable Boxer of the maiden season of the Yucateco boxing league Abdulwahab Abdulrahman, said winning a Pan-African Title has elevated his career to a whole new level.
“This is a dream come true for me, a significant season in my nascent boxing career, I want to thank my fans and family members who came out in their numbers to celebrate me today”.
“However, I am not carried away by the present accolades because the task ahead is greater than what I have been able to achieve”.
The initiator of the Pan-African title fight Omonlei Yakubu Imadu, said the promotion has received several offers from different countries within and outside the continent to challenge the current title holders.
Imadu, who is the president of the Boxing Promoters Association of Nigeria (BPAN), further stated that the next Yucateco Pan-African Title fight has been slated for a yet-to-be-decided date in December 2024.