Friday Felix, a former Nigerian amateur boxer has shown his appreciation to his ex-teammates who raised a sum of three million naira to cater to his medical payments after he was diagnosed with stroke and has been down for a year following battles to raise money for the hospital expenses.
The boxer who was a member of the nation’s contingent to Harare ’95 All African games with a bronze medal said after receiving the goodwill donation, “I am really grateful to the ex-boxers for coming to my rescue. I stopped treatment before the COVID-19 lockdown because I didn’t have the money to continue. Any money I get now is to feed myself and my family.”
“I have not been able to pay my house rent for over a year now because of my condition. I need more financial assistance,” he lamented.
Meanwhile, the head coach of Nigeria Boxing Federation, former Olympian, Anthony Konyegwachie, who presented the cash to the ailing Friday Felix on behalf of the ex-boxers, has called on the Ministry of Youth and Sports, as well as the Nigeria Boxing Federation to come to his aid.
Konyegwachie, a member of Nigeria’s contingent to Seoul ’88 Olympics Games in South Korea, where he competed in the men’s featherweight category, says ex-athletes like Felix deserve the attention of government and sports-loving individuals having contributed their quota to the country.
“Any amount of money given to him now will go a long way because Felix needs to continue his medication. I was called upon by my colleagues (ex-boxers) to present the money to Felix, and I thank them for the financial assistance.”
In his days as a boxer, Felix represented Nigeria and Lagos State at the amateur level from 1988 to 1997. He later ruled the Africa Boxing Union (ABU) before he quit the game.
