Marshal plan to revive boxing unveiled
Nigerian boxing is undergoing a massive structural shift. For years, a divide between amateur and professional ranks has left many athletes without safety nets or career paths. Now, the Nigeria
Nigerian boxing is undergoing a massive structural shift. For years, a divide between amateur and professional ranks has left many athletes without safety nets or career paths. Now, the Nigeria Boxing Federation (NBF), under the leadership of its President, Mr. Wale Edun, who also serves as Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, is pushing for a unified "one federation" model, according to the federation's Vice President, Yakubu Imadu, writes MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN.
Nigerian boxing has always been defined by raw talent and massive potential. From the legendary gyms of Lagos to international arenas, Nigerian boxers have long been reputed to have the heart of lions. However, for years, the administrative side of the sport has struggled with a lack of structure, missing databases and athletes often left to navigate the professional world without a safety net.
But, a major overhaul is underway. Under the leadership of Mr. Wale Edun — who also serves as Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy — the Nigeria Boxing Federation (NBF) is implementing a "holistic reform" designed to turn boxing into a structured and corporate-friendly industry.
While the NBF's move to modernise the sport appears the best route forward, the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBBofC), the traditional custodian of professional boxing, has expressed its own misgivings about where amateur governance ends and the professional business begins.
But the NBF's new direction, according to the federation's Vice President, Omonlei Yakubu Imadu, is rooted in a simple philosophy: "One Sport, One Federation."
The goal, Imadu argued, is to align boxing with the model used by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), for instance, where one body oversees the sport from grassroots talent to professional superstars.
Imadu, in an interview with NationSport, explained that this unified approach is about protecting the human capital of the sport: "It is one federation, one sport, one federation in Nigeria so we don't create confusion."
He noted that since the NBF uses taxpayer’s money to develop boxers at the amateur level, it has a responsibility to oversee their transition into the professional ranks. Without this oversight, Imadu warned, elite athletes are often left vulnerable.
"When we started — you can imagine, for almost more than how many decades now since the creation of Nigerian Boxing Federation, the Nigerian Boxing Federation remained probably the only federation that does not have a website, not to talk of a social media handle. These are the things that we met when we resumed office."
The remedy, he argued, was a "holistic reform" designed to rebrand Nigerian boxing for a global audience. Currently, the NBF has invested heavily in digital assets. This is not just about a website; it is about accountability. The federation created a licence automation system for every stakeholder in the ecosystem — from boxers and promoters to administrators.
"We need to know ourselves, right?" Imadu explained. By creating a verifiable database, the NBF is attempting to eliminate the "ghost" elements of the sport that have allowed exploitation to flourish. "We invested in database, digital asset, licensing for all boxers and everything, and we announced proper regulation, structure, and reform."
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The "one federation" doctrine
The centrepiece of the Edun-led administration is the unification of the sport. Imadu argued that the historical separation of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBBofC) from the NBF is an illegal vestige of the past that harms the athletes. He draws a sharp parallel to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) as the standard of sports governance.
"When you look at Nigeria Football Federation, you will see Nigerians — actually, the sport people in Nigeria that are highest paid are Nigerian footballers who are professionals overseas. But no matter what, they are footballers. There is never anything that is called Nigerian Professional Football Board of Control that will handle only professional affairs, while the NFF should handle amateur affairs. It is one federation, one sport, one federation in Nigeria so we don't create confusion."
He traced the history to when the NBBofC was merely a subcommittee under the federation. He explained that private individuals "illegally" took that name and registered it as a private business.
"An NGO who is into the business of professional boxing... NBF is a governing body for anything that has to do with boxing in Nigeria, be it Olympics-type boxing, para-boxing, knuckle boxing, professional boxing, and celebrity boxing," he affirmed.
Ending the era of ‘slave contracts’
The core of the NBF's mandate lies in protecting the ‘taxpayer's investment.’ Imadu pointed out that the government spends vast sums of public money to develop amateur boxers through the National Sports Commission. However, once these athletes turn professional, they are often left to the whims of private promoters who may not have their best interests at heart.
"Somebody has worked his life, represented the country, worked very hard, and taxpayer's money is being used to develop them. At this given point now when they are there, you just leave them and put them out there without protecting their future when they now start making money. Then one person, two people that are just there will now start manipulating them, exploiting them with slave contracts... with no recourse to the government, no recourse to regulatory authority, no recourse to oversight."
By bringing professional boxing under NBF regulation, Imadu aims to ensure that athletes have professional representation, agents and managers who operate within a legal framework. This is about turning boxing from a "hustle" into a career that contributes to Nigeria's GDP.
The NBBofC defence
Despite the NBF's assertive stance, the NBBofC remains a vocal critic of this "unification." Led by Dr. Rafiu Ladipo, the board argues that the NBF is overstepping its bounds. Ladipo has urged the NBF to return to its primary responsibility: developing grassroots talent for international competitions like the Olympics.
"The mandate of the NBF is to develop grassroots boxing," Ladipo stated recently. “Unfortunately, they have not fully delivered on this responsibility. They are now attempting to venture into an area they do not understand."
The NBBofC claims a mandate dating back to 1949, arguing that professional boxing is a private business that requires specialised management distinct from government-funded programmes. This friction recently culminated in protests at the National Stadium in Surulere, where professional boxers expressed concern over the "cancellation" of their fight records on global platforms like BoxRec due to the regulatory dispute.
Addressing the conflict of interest narrative
As the owner of Yucateco, Imadu has faced accusations that the NBF reforms are designed to benefit his own brand. But he dismissed such claims as a "conspiracy" intended to cover past administrative failures. He points to President Wale Edun's leadership as proof that private passion and public duty can co-exist.
He said: "The President, Mr. Wale Edun... is the pioneer of the Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame. That is a private organisation doing amateur boxing on a private level. He is also the President of the NBF. Does it mean that because he is the President of NBF, the Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame should stop? No. Yucateco is a brand on its own, it's an independent brand. Yucateco doesn't have any administrative power over NBF. NBF is also not for Yucateco."
For Imadu, having "skin in the game" is a qualification. He believes the board members were elected precisely because of their proven pedigree.
"They [board members] were all elected based on their individual area of discipline, their pedigree in sports... because the people believe in their manifesto," he noted.
Call for statutory clarity
According to Imadu, the NBF is not interested in bickering but in the law and the development of the sport. He wants to see Nigerian boxers respected on the global stage, well-paid and medically protected.
"The tension they are talking about is because they are afraid that the 'business as usual' is over," Imadu said. "The era where they collect money from boxers without insurance... that era is what we are closing. Because they have benefited from that lack of structure for decades, they are now seeing the regulator as an enemy or as someone coming to 'hijack' their business."
Boxing as an economic pillar
Imadu noted that under the dual leadership of Edun, the NBF is pitching a future where boxing is "corporate-ready" and attractive to investors. By emulating the structural success of the NFF, they aim to turn the ring into an industry that contributes to the national economy through taxes and structured growth.
"We are not interested in taking control of anybody or hijacking any NGOs," Imadu affirmed. "We are only telling them that they should come and comply and all these things should work within the framework of the NBF... We want to give boxing that corporate look, athletes can be protected, it can contribute to the economic growth of Nigeria."
In the ring of Nigerian sports administration, Imadu has stepped in with the intent to go the full 12 rounds. Whether he wins by a technical knockout or a long-drawn legal decision, the landscape of Nigerian boxing has already been irrevocably altered.
The "business as usual" era is over. The era of the regulated, protected and digitised boxer has begun.
