Ahead of the Yucateco Pan-African Amateur Boxing Championship in Lomé, a strong contingent of the boxing outfit arrived in the host country in the early hours of today.
The crew which consists of Boxers, Coaches, Referees and Judges arrived at the luxurious Hotel Sarakawa in Boulevard du Mono by 2:am on Saturday, June 22nd.
Some of the boxing coaches who made the trip are Waidi Sobaloju, Ibiyinka Kolawole, and coach Ibrahim Muftau amongst others. The Referees and Judges include ref.Odukoya Sunkonmi, Salaudeen Bashiru, Atanda Oluwatosin, and Alhaji Masha. Others are Babatunde Laguda, and Olushola Ajala.
Representing team Yucateco at the championship which gets on the way today are twenty-four boxers and their sparring partners both male and female.
Some of the elated boxers told our correspondent before they departed for Togo that the event will be their first experience outside the shores of Nigeria and they hope to make the best of the exposure.
Veteran boxing umpire Abdullahi Masha, who spoke on behalf of the Referees and Judges, said the event will improve the profile of Nigerian referees and also expose them to global standards of Officiating.
“This is the first time some of these referees will attend and officiate in an international event of this nature, it will help to improve their profile and also build their confidence for the bigger stage”
“I would like to laud the CEO of Yucateco Boxing Promotions Mr Omonlei Yakubu Imadu, for all he’s doing for boxing in Nigeria, he has taken steps to further improve amateur boxing beyond the shores of our nation and this must be commended”
Twelve belts are up for grabs in the maiden Yucateco Pan-African Amateur Boxing Championship with pugilists from Togo, Ghana, Benin Rep, Mali, Guinea, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal locking horns for the ultimate prize in the two-day event.