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Ogun State Awaits Joshua

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BY BOLAJI OKUNOLA

 

Ogun State indigenes await the visit of one of their own, the new world boxing champion, Anthony Olufemi Joshua.

The British-born Nigerian broke Ricky Hatton’s by picking up in excess of £15million as prize money for his victory over Wladimir Klitschko last Saturday.

Before then, the record for the largest purse was held by Ricky Hatton who 10 years ago beat Floyd Mayweather Jnr in Las Vegas.

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Sports online publication, www.sportsvillagesquare.com gathered that the Ogun State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Afolabi Obiape said:  “All youth in Ogun State will be proud to welcome Joshua for his record and blessing he has brought to the state.

“He has led by example and has shown nothing good comes easy. I am sure he would have face a lot of discrimination on his route to stardom but am proud of him because he keeps hope high and has brought glory to his people.”

“He has promised to come down here and I am very sure, indigenes of Ogun State and Governor Ibikunle Amosun will give him a warm welcome to show other states how talented Ogun youths are.”

“We are great in terms of politics, sport and entertainment. Our record has seen us made history, as the most successful state in the country,” he remarked.

Joshua whose defence of the IBF belt against Klitschko generate gate receipts worth about £7milliom has vow to build a modern boxing ring at the Sagamu stadium while youth and sport enthusiasts are clamouring on the state government to name a street, bus- stop, general hospital, institution or stadium after his name in other to keep his record and memory alive.

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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