Balmoral Group Promotions, a foremost boxing promotion company in Nigeria, is planning to raise N1billion to transform communities in the country within the next three years.
Dr. Ezekiel Adamu, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of Balmoral Group, said this in Lagos on Wednesday, at a press conference ahead of its ‘Chaos In The Ring’ boxing fiesta holding at the Federal Palace Hotel in Lagos on Easter Friday.
Adamu, who is also the brain behind Friday Fight Night in Lagos, revealed that a new Corporate Social Responsibility drive known as ‘The Ring Of Hope Initiative’, will enable Balmoral Group through boxers, undertake programmes and projects that will impact community dwellers in Nigeria.
The Balmoral Group CEO explained that the company is hoping to raise N50 million from ‘Chaos In The Ring’, its third in the series, and boxers who emerge as winners will receive a certain amount of money to carry our much-needed life-changing projects in the community they reside, with the supervision of a committee set up to monitor the implementation.
Among the fights on the card for the event is Nigerian rapper, Speed Darlington, who will battle Street-hop sensation, Habeeb Okikiola, better known as Portable.
“Our vision for Ring Of Hope, the initiative we just came up with, is to raise N1billion in the next three years and that money would be moved to impact communities. We are hoping that for this particular edition, we will be raising up to N50 million to work on their community, so it s a continuous process,” he said.
“So on this edition, it is never about boxing, it is about giving back and always impacting lives. So we are proud to present our new initiative called ‘The Ring Of Hope Initiative’. And what’s the Ring of hope initiative about? Any fighter from our part that wins will be given a sum of money. That money is not for you personally but it is for you to impact your community because we believe in community building and the vision for us is to build a community one boxer at a time.
“So starting off with this edition, we have a celebrity fight, the celebrity fight also will get money to provide something in tei community. We are going to use all angles, all means to push boxing in Nigeria and we very started off. We will like to thank Mr Speed Darlington and Mr Protable, for graciously using their platform to promote boxing in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. We believe this is the beginning of a new day and we believe that this will move us to the next level in terms of boxing. Ladies and gentlemen, on Friday, we will be having the biggest show in boxing in Nigeria so far. So, this is not a Bimoral project, this is our project, it is our thing, we are Africans, this is our platform.
“That money is coming from the general public and the more we work together with the press, the more we push it, the more we impact communities. Imaging what one billion would do in these communities in the next few years?
And we will not relent until we get there. We’re starting with N1billion, I believe knowing Balmoral for what we do, within the next years, we would tell you we are aiming for N10billion.”
Speaking further, Dr Adamu stressed that the intention for ‘Chaos In The Ring’ is to promote boxing in Africa and give African boxers the level playing field they never have whenever they step outside of the continent to fight their counterparts from other parts of the world.
“This is our third edition of ‘Chaos In The Ring’, and we’ve done one Friday Fight Night. The vision for us basically is to make more champions of Nigeria, for Africans. I think these whole thing started when we came in and realised that when our fighters go, most especially African fighters, when they go overseas to fight, they never get the opportunity of 50-50 fight. They are always disadvantaged compared to other opponents. So we thought let’s come up with our fight in Africa, where we can invite the best in the world to come and fight here,” he stated.
“I’ll like to thank the NBBof C for the support so far. I’ll also like to thank Mr Samir Kaftan from WBO. He made it very easy for us to get these titles in Nigeria. I think is the best we are fighting an international fight in Nigeria, not for an African belt but international.”
The representative of the WBO, Samir Kaftan, hailed Dr. Adamu as the “best boxing promoter” for ensuring the growth of the sport in Nigeria and Africa.
“So let me take this opportunity to thank Balmoral boxing promotions for the great job he’s been doing. It is not easy to ge this belts here. At all. You need a lot of capital to get a belt, WBO, IBF. I don’t speak for other organisations but I speak for my organisation,” Kaftan said.
“It is not easy. He has done well. He applied and he got it. I think Nigeria is going to produce a world champion soon. What the WBO has done is that unlike other organisations who take too long for the younger boxers to get to the world title, so we made a short cut, as we say in Africa, for the youths who are coming, who are good, who are being nurtured by their promoters, managers an family, to get an access to fight for this title.
“And when you are 18 years to 25 years, you are eligible to fight for this title. And when you get this title, it would help you to be in the world rankings and fight for other titles; African title, global title, intercontinental and international. So Dr. Adamu has done well. I didn’t know him but I read about him and he is the best promoter at the moment. Don’t get me wrong, there are other promoters but at the moment, he is the best promoter.
The WBO representative called on corporate bodies in Nigeria to support the effort of Balmoral Group and boxing in Nigeria.
“I’m appealing to the corporate bodies. When he comes to you (for sponsorship), he would also push them (corporate bodies) and the boxers will wear shorts and shirts with their logos on them. It tells a lot. So I’m appealing to the Nigerian corporate bodies to join hands with the promoters, especially Dr Adamu,” Kaftan emphasised.
President of the NBBofC, Dr. Rafiu Ladipo, who was also present at the occasion, assured Balmoral Group of continued support to take boxing to the next level in Nigeria.
“First and foremost, I want to thank the chairman and management of Balmoral Group, Dr Ezekiek Adamu, as he is making things happen in different forms, bringing boxing to Nigeria as it is done in other parts of the world. And I want to congratulate you. We have seen two, three of his fights and for me and the board of control, we remain thankful to you. I believe the president and representative of the WBO, would be surprised to see something we have been clamouring for, for several years and that is what we expect to see on Friday.
“We want to tell you that the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control will continue to partner with you. We are happy with you and I think Nigerians are happy with you. I’ve received so many comments within Nigeria, outside Nigeria, from the United States, UK and the rest. And they say ‘wao’, this is happening in Nigeria?” The NBBofC boss said.
Among the fights slated for ‘Chaos In The Ring’ are: Light Heaveyweight Challenge between Taiwo Rasheed and Sunday Abudu, Lightweight Challenge between Ghana’s Samuel Takyi and Nigeria’s Usero Henry Oteba. Lekan Muibi of Nigeria will take on Maciano Commey of Ghana in a WBA All African Light Heavy Weight.
Other fights will see Mcallister Lee Williams from the United Kingdom take on Dodoo Theophilus of Ghana in a Middleweight Challenge. Stephen Kadima of Nigeria will take on Alaoma Tyison Osato Han Mwen of Italy in a Cruiserweight bout.
In the women’s category, Brown Charley Leigh from the UK will battle Sarah Ahouandjinou of Benin Republic in the Lightweight Challenge. Adijat Gbadamosi and Bello Omolola Ayodeji will trade blows in the Super Bantamweight Challenge.
One of the star fights is between Nigeria’s Basit Adebayo and Suleman Sheha from Tanzania.
