IN the 80s, I was one of those recruited to embrace boxing. Someone, I cannot remember his name again brought the sport to Delta Steel Company (DSC), extension Camp Swimming poolside precisely and urged us to join the new club which would catapult us to becoming millionaires.
At that time, as a footballer, nothing good seemed to be coming and we were told that what we were looking for in “Sokoto” was in our “Shokoto”.
Prompt, we resumed training and the signs that I could be sent to the great beyond before my time was evident when I was paired with an overaged boxer. After raining a few blows all over my face, I knew I would not go far but my Coach would not want any excuse. You can do it, he would tell me.
However, a day came and one of the leading boxers, Jerry by name who resides at Permanent Camp, another estate within DSC was led to Warri Stadium in a major fight against an opponent from Benin.
In the first round, Jerry showed glimpses of a true boxer, throwing some good punches which spurred the supporters including my humble self, to begin cheering… “Jerry…Jerry”, urging him to go on. Thus, Jerry won the first round. However, it was unknown to Jerry that the opponent used that round to study him. Like what a football coach used to say, the opponent fought that round according to instructions.
When the second round resumed, the opponent from Benin City almost killed Jerry and one by one, we disappeared from the stadium. Jerry with swollen lips, jaw and eyes was rushed to the hospital. He actually spent some days at the Warri General Hospital before returning home for further treatment. Behold, that was the end of my short boxing career. I could not imagine myself being pummelled like Jerry. It was the end of an era and on the football side, nothing much was happening. I remember our friendly match with Wilson Oruma-led Invisible Leopards at Essi College. Our Coach then removed me when we were losing and wore my Jersey to play. In the end, we lost too and that was the end of the second era. The next thing for me was to focus my attention on education.
Last week, we all witnessed how our own Anthony Joshua was beaten to a pulp, which prompted fans to urge him to retire.
Unlike my own case, Anthony Joshua is already a millionaire. He is wealthy and has nothing to prove again to anybody. In these days of hunger, he can come home to Ogun State to establish a modern farm and help President Bola Tinubu solve part of the problems ravaging the Country.
Also, following his defeat to Daniel Dubois, Anthony Joshua has been issued a temporary boxing ban. The ex-heavyweight World Champion is mandated to refrain from stepping into the ring for 28 days. His shocking knockout at Wembley Stadium in London did not go down well with fans. Joshua was floored three times and ultimately beaten by Fubois in the fifth round with a potent right hand.
The British Boxing Control Board of Control enforcing this brief suspension on AJ, as he is fondly called, claimed that it is part of the established standard procedure following the fighter’s suffering TKO or KO loss.
Even though the defeat to Dubois represents only the fourth loss of Joshua’s professional career, with past defeats including his initial upset to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019 and consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022, the end seems to be near.
However, in the fight against Dubois, the Sagamu-born boxer got battered from rope to rope, lacking self-belief and confidence. With that, the debate on whether Anthony Joshua should call it quits now that the ovation is loud has been on the lips of boxing fans.
Anthony Joshua, who once claimed his love language is money can boast of about £109Million in the bank with an incredible car collection. He has world-class properties scattered across Europe and recently spent £7.5m on upgrading his property empire and a lavish holiday in Dubai.
Thank God, Joshua who has enjoyed a rags to riches rise after growing up in Watford has departed from his early life of causing trouble and drug dealing. He has also purged himself of run-ins with the Police and court dates.
Given his latest setback, the 33-year-old boxer could shift his attention to promotions, exhibition fights, merchandise and endorsements.
On the other hand, he could come home and invest in farming. There are enough lands in Ogun State with cheap labour.
However, the boxer seems not ready having come out to say he will not retire for his career is far from over.
