This
is a clarification report on the popular view that the Nigerian
government rejected the chance of permitting popular boxer - Anthony
Joshua to represent Nigeria in competitions.
Anthony Joshua
The emergence of Anthony Oluwafemi Joshua as the WBA, IBO and IBF
heavyweight champion of the world after defeating his Ukrainian
challenger, Wladimir Klitschko, through a technical knockout on Saturday
have led to a series of publications as to why the Nigerian-British
born was rejected by the Nigerian Boxing Federation in 2008.
While, most Nigerians have condemned the action of the federation,
both local and international media like ThisDay, ESPN, Daily Mail, etc
have tagged the non-existing trial, rejection.
Anthony Joshua started boxing in 2007, combining boxing training
with his bricklaying job. However, in 2008 the now heavyweight champion
of the world reached out to the Nigerian Boxing Federation, asking to
represent Nigeria in Beijing 2008 Olympic.
In 2008, Anthony Joshua knows he cannot make any Olympic team in
the world –that was barely a year after he started boxing training, even
nine years later Anthony Joshua is still work in progress and lack
footwork and head movement that defines true champions. Perhaps that
explained why he didn’t show up for the trial against the likes of
Durodola Olanrewaju and Onorede Ohwarieme that represented Nigeria in
Beijing 2008.
According to the chief coach of the Nigerian Boxing Federation,
Obisia Nwankpa, Anthony Joshua reached out to the association in 2008,
and he was invited for trial but came after the national trial had
finished.
Even though, he won a gold medal at the 2012 Olympic, Tyson Fury
and other heavyweight rivals have repeatedly said he was gifted the gold
medal because the Olympic was hosted in London and insisted Roberto
Cammarelle of Italy beats the world champion in the final.
That was after winning a silver medal at 2011 World Amateur Boxing
Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan and going through five years world
class training in London. Still, his Olympic performance and gold medal
has been criticised by experts.
Therefore, Anthony Joshua was not rejected in 2008 by the Nigerian
Boxing Federation, neither was he qualified to represent Nigeria in the
2008 Olympic, but rather he was looking for a short-cut to the Olympic
without the skillset requires to fight at the Olympic level as at the
time.
Nigerians should stop condoning mediocrity and focus on nurturing homegrown talents to compete on the global stage.
Credit: Investor King