FORMER African light heavyweight champion Joe Lasisi has described the introduction of GOtv Boxing Night as the best thing to have happened to professional boxing in Nigeria.
Lasisi, who was among the boxing legends honoured by GOtv last Sunday at the indoor sport hall of the National Stadium, Lagos, during the show tagged the biggest fights of the year, said that the glamour which was synonymous with professional boxing during his time will soon return.
"I am happy to be considered worthy of this honour. In fact, I believe that GOtv will soon change the face of professional boxing in Nigeria. This is a plus for Nigerian boxing and I'm happy that these boxers are provided this great platform to expose themselves to the outside world.
"You can imagine the number of countries where this show is being watched live. Even it is a source of pride to every boxer here that he is featuring in the competition that is beamed beyond the shores of Nigeria.
"Some of my colleagues can no longer produce one of the tapes of their fights today and this is why I'm happy for these boxers. So, this is a form of motivation to these young boxers coupled with the monetary aspect which is equally encouraging," said the Kwara State-born retired Customs officer.
The former WBC and IBF contender who lost the WBA title to American Virgil Hill in 1989 stated that with adequate motivation, Nigeria will continue to lead the continent in boxing.
"We have so many world-class boxers who are yet to be discovered and once these boxers are beginning to get good pay, more future world-class boxers would come out of Nigeria. Most of our professional boxers are also engaged in one form of vocation or another to make ends meet and that always affect their performances at big stage.
"I was lucky during my time that my employers, the Nigeria Customs and Excise gave me enough time to face my boxing career, while I was also getting promotion regularly for doing the establishment and the nation proud.
"So, we will see a turnaround in Nigerian professional boxing with adequate sponsorship whereby every boxer will be able to have up to three or four fights in a year with good pay," said the Smoking Joe as he is fondly called by his admirers.
Meanwhile, Lasisi was honoured by GOtv alongside the former WBC light heavyweight title contender Obisia Nwankpa; former Commonwealth super flyweight champion Ray Amao; former Commonwealth bantamweight champion, Hogan Jimoh, former Commonwealth lightweight champion Dele Jonathan and ex-Olympian, Jerry Okorodudu, as well as the president of NBB of C, Dr Gowdin Kanu.
Current Commonwealth super middleweight and WBO Africa Super Middleweight champion, Isaac 'Grenade' Ekpo, was also recognised during the show as he proudly displayed his belts while he was also asked to pick 10 of the lucky winners of the GOtv decoders through the raffle.
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