The National Sports Commission on Monday threw out the request for fund of Nigerian boxer, Bash Ali, to actualise his World Boxing Championship fight.
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that Ali is pushing to have his name and Nigeria enter the “Guinness Book of World Records” if he can actualise his dream.
Ali had appealed for President Goodluck Jonathan’s intervention in helping him actualise his quest to make history.
He had also planned to establish five boxing academies and a sports equipment manufacturing factory in the country that would provide employment for the youths.
The boxer had planned to fight Britain’s John Keenton, on April 25 in Warri for a cruiser weight title in his bid to actualise the objective.
He also made efforts to secure a venue in Nigeria for his World Boxing Championship fight against Gunn Bobby of the US without any success, saying funding was his major challenge.
The Minister of Sports, Malam Bolaji Abdulahi, told newsmen in Abuja at the presentation of the Jonathan administration mid-term report for sports that “sporting funds” were meant for amateur boxers and not professional boxers.
Abdullahi, who doubles as Chairman of the NSC, said government’s resources would only only be deployed within established rules.
He said: “We definitely want to help anybody who is our own and Bash Ali especially is one of the greatest men that this country has produced, but there are rules that must guide everything.
“Government’s resource can only be deployed within the established regulations.
“If we get money for sporting activities, such money is for amateur boxing and not for professional boxing.”
The NSC Chairman added that professional sports were normally private-driven and not government sponsored.
He said: “Anywhere in the world, professional boxing is funded by the private sector.
“Although, Jonathan wants to help, but if this money was not budgeted for, where will he get it?
“The point is that we want to help to organise professional boxing but we have mandates within which we can operate.”
He, however, noted that the commission was planning to hire a National Performance Director for boxing for the development of the game.
He said: “On amateur boxing, we are going to hire a National Performance Director for boxing who will be on ground before the end of August 2013.
“These individual will be responsible for the development of boxing at all levels in Nigeria.”
Abdulahi noted that the commission had already signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Republic of Cuba on combat sports, which included boxing.
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