Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame (LBHF) the renown longest running monthly Boxing tournament in Nigeria has rebranded to Boxing & MMA Hall of Fame (HOF) and has staged its first amateur MMA tournament under the umbrella, of the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts (GAMMA) together with its usual monthly Boxing tournament on Sunday, February 18, 2024 at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos State.
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The tournament featured GAMMA Nigeria Open National MMA Championship featuring athletes from different States in the country jostling for spots on the first national Nigerian MMA team to the 13th African Games taking place in Accra, Ghana next month.
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According to the organisers, the introduction of MMA comes at a historic moment where MMA will feature for the first time at the Olympics and Nigeria will be proudly represented in 10 weight divisions, 6 for males and 4 for females.
A total of 60 Athletes participated in both Boxing and MMA during the tournament and the bouts were managed and officiated by Lagos State Boxing Association (LABA) and the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts (GAMMA Nigeria).
Founder of LBHF and Minister of Finance Wale Edun described the rebrand event as a revolution. “This is another Boxing Hall of Fame occasion, it’s an evolution because now, we not only have boxing, but we also now have mixed martial arts and it’s just a sign of the times. Things are developing for us, what matters is that young Nigerians are given the opportunity to train, to be safe, to be secure and to develop their skills and talent. To be given a chance to really excel and make Nigeria proud both on the World stage as amateurs and even professionals.
“We all know that for a young sportsman, the height of it is the Olympics and so we hope to breed Olympic champions here. So, we are very happy that Boxing Hall of Fame which has been going since 2019 has now evolved and brought on board not just boxing for young boys and girls, young men and women but in addition, we now have mixed martial art and it’s a question of the more the merrier, the more resources and the more opportunity we can give to our teeming youngsters, the better,” he added.
President, GAMMA Nigeria, Valentine Morah lauded the organisers while expressing optimsim in the potential that abound in Nigeria. “This is a very big opportunity for MMA in Nigeria and the entire continent. This is the first time we are having it officially at the African Games, though as a demonstration but for the officials and the athletes, it’s a big bonus and we are going to Ghana not just to demonstrate, we are going there to top the medals table,” he said.
About Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame (LBHF)
Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame (LBHF) is a non-profit organisation established in 2010 to develop and support Young Boxers on the grassroot and amateur levels by organizing monthly boxing tournaments that has churned out some of the finest boxers for Lagos State and Nigeria. It remains Nigeria’s longest running Boxing tournament and on its 135th tournament is now rebranding to Boxing & MMA Hall Of Fame as it carries on the development of the world’s fastest growing sport in Nigeria.
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