Jeremiah Okorodudu, a former boxing champion, has revealed
how boxing rave of the moment, Anthony Joshua, was rejected by Nigerian boxing
officials nine years ago.
Joshua caught global attention and became a darling of
boxing fans Saturday night after he humiliated Wladimir Klitschko, at the
Wembley Stadium in England.
Speaking with UK Sun, Okorodud recalled that nine years
back, Joshua’s efforts to represent Nigeria at the 2008 Olympic Games were
futile as the Nigerian boxing officials turned him down.
He said, “Joshua was in Nigeria once to connect with his
roots and I think that was in 2007.
“He wanted a chance to compete for trials ahead of the 2008
Beijing Olympics qualifiers, but he was denied and not given a chance.
“Disappointed, he went back to England to represent Great
Britain.
“He went on to win a gold that could have been a first for
Nigeria at the Olympics.
“If only they had allowed him to compete for Nigeria, that
gold would have been a Nigerian gold and not Great Britain’s.”
Another Nigeria coach at the time, Adegboyega Adeniji-Adele
also confirmed the fact that Joshua was at the Nigerian camp.
“Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua is his name and his family come
from Ogun state in Nigeria,” he told the newspaper.
“When he visited, his intention was to represent Nigeria at
the Olympics but he was denied in the trials. He had no other option than to go
to Britain.
“It’s Nigeria’s loss, Britain’s gain. Personally, I feel sad
that they let him go and those people should be made to explain why it was
impossible to give him a chance.”
However, Obisia Nwakpa, who was the chief coach of the
boxing team in 2008, defended the decision of not taking Joshua to the
Olympics.
“We made the right call then, because he wasn’t good enough
and we picked someone who was much better,” he was quoted as saying.
Written By Ameh Comrade Godwin
Source:http://dailypost.ng
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