By Nkechi Eze
The Nigeria Boxing Federation (NBF) has unveiled plans to introduce and regulate professional boxing under its administrative framework, marking a major reform aimed at safeguarding boxers’ welfare, promoting transparency and strengthening grassroots development nationwide.
The initiative was disclosed by the Chairman of the Marketing Committee of the current NBF board, Mr. Azania Omo-Agege, as he outlined the federation’s vision to integrate professional boxing into the existing amateur structure operated by the body.
According to Omo-Agege, the planned integration is intended to give the federation greater oversight of boxing activities in Nigeria, particularly in critical areas such as boxers’ health, age verification and contractual rights, which he said have often been neglected in the past.
“We are about to launch professional boxing under the Nigeria Boxing Federation. What we have been doing has been purely amateur, but now we want to integrate professional boxing into that structure so we can properly manage and protect our boxers,” he said.
He explained that the reform aligns with the new policies of the National Sports Commission on age discrepancies in sports, stressing that the federation will strictly enforce proper age documentation to eliminate falsification of athletes’ ages.
“The days of artificial ages on passports are over. We want to know the true ages of our boxers so we can manage them properly and responsibly,” Omo-Agege stated.
As part of the new direction, the NBF plans to deepen grassroots boxing development by scouting talents from secondary schools, colleges of education, polytechnics and universities across the country. The federation intends to nurture identified talents from their formative years through the amateur ranks and systematically guide them into professional boxing within a regulated and closely monitored system.
Omo-Agege also raised concerns over the frequent loss of Nigerian boxers to foreign professional promoters after major competitions such as the Commonwealth Games, Olympic Games and African championships.
“The government spends money training these boxers, and once they get exposure, promoters just pick them up. They reap where they did not sow, and the country loses boxers who should be representing Nigeria,” he said.
Under the proposed framework, the NBF plans to oversee boxers’ transition into professional careers to protect them from exploitation and unfair contractual agreements. He noted that many boxers lack formal education and are often vulnerable to contracts that offer little or no long-term financial benefit.
“NBF wants to be in control of the contracts so they will benefit our boxers in the long run. We don’t want them signing slave contracts they cannot even read or understand,” he added.
The federation also intends to affiliate with major global professional boxing bodies, including the World Boxing Council (WBC) and the World Boxing Association (WBA), in order to provide Nigerian boxers with internationally recognised platforms to compete for world titles.
In addition, Omo-Agege said the NBF will prioritise boxers’ health and safety by maintaining comprehensive medical and health insurance records to ensure fighters are medically fit to compete and adequately cared for in the event of injuries.
“Our responsibility is not just to train boxers to fight, but to protect their health, careers and future,” he said.
The initiative, according to the federation, represents a historic step towards reforming boxing administration in Nigeria, with the goal of securing a sustainable future for the sport and ensuring that Nigerian boxers are protected, empowered and globally competitive.
