Speaking at the third annual Independence Day Boxing Championship organised by his club at in Agarawu area of Idumota, Lagos, at the weekend, Okadigwe said he decided to sponsor the championship to help youths channel their aggressive and violent lifestyles productive ventures.
He said the championship has produced boxers that have represented Nigeria internationally and called on others with the resources to sponsor the sport and other games at the grassroots level.
“As an ex-boxer, I decided to always sponsor this boxing challenge on Independence Day, which is my birthday day to help youths living in Agarawu area in Idumota channel their strength to sports.
“The area is known for violence and street fighting and to help curb this way of life, I decided to organise the boxing championship to keep them busy and also bring out the potential in them.
“The whole idea is to make the youths, both boys and girls, realise they can use their physical strength to earn living through sports. I am working hard to also sponsor the championship in another volatile area of the state,” he said
Also speaking at the event, Supreme Boxing Club coach, Ajibade Musiliu Olusegun, said sponsoring sports events at the grassroots would help discover more talents.
“Some youths are violent in nature, so the only way to make such people productive in the society is to engage them in boxing and other sports.
“We thank the sponsor for his vision to revamp boxing at the grassroots,” he said.
A boxer from the Nigeria Army team, Bello Babatunde, who won his lightweight bout at the championship, commended the organisers for giving him the opportunity to display his talents.
Babatunde said his dream is to represent Nigeria at major international championships in the future.
At the end of the event, medals and cash rewards were given to the winners in each bout of the boxing championship.
