Former World Boxing Federation Cruiserweight Champion, Bashiru Ali, professionally known as Bash Ali, has declared that sport would compete with Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited in generating huge revenue and creating employment for people if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu gives moral and financial support to its development in Nigeria.
Bash Ali said this in an open letter addressed to the Presidency and made available to Eagle Online on Thursday.
In the letter, he informed President Tinubu of the proposed Guinness World Record Boxing Championship, which is scheduled to hold for the first time on African soil and outside the United States of America.
According to Bash Ali, the proposed event would be the most lucrative in the history of Pay Per View Television as it is expected to be watched live by an estimated audience of between 30 million and 35 million.
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This is aside other revenue that would be generated from PPVTV in Africa, sale of souvenirs, sponsorships and adverts.
Above all, he said five sports academies with Olympic size swimming pools and a sports equipment manufacturing factory will be built across Nigeria.
The letter partly reads: “My President Sir, I am the most patriotic Nigerian in the world. Every Guinness World Record Boxing Championship Fight has been held in the United States of America (USA) so mine would be the first outside and the most LUCRATIVE in the history of Pay Per View Television revenue.
“Instead of hosting it in the USA or in any other country, I insisted it must be in my country, Nigeria.
“I left my comfort zone in Oakland, California, USA, 17 years ago as one of the richest boxers in the world and today, my country, Nigeria has turned me to the poorest simply because I say NO to CORRUPTION and despite being financially broke I still turned down several JUICY offers including a 75M Euros to fight outside of Nigeria.
“I love my country and I will never give up on Nigeria especially now that you have brought the RENEWED HOPE AGENDA.
“My President Sir, I did not leave my comfort zone in the USA to come to fight my country, Nigeria in a court battle.
“I came to Nigeria to host the biggest boxing show in the world and SHOCK the world by rewriting boxing history and bring honor, glory and financial growth to Nigeria so help me make this laudable dream a reality, please.”
The Africa Boxing Ambassador then demanded among others that the Presidency take over the hosting of this historic fight, that the suit against the FGN should be settled out of court and “that you once again permit me the luxury of presenting to you the historic fight souvenirs”.
It is pertinent to note that Bash Ali, who hails from Edo State, South South Nigeria, a former wrestler turned boxer, is described as the “boxer in the world to win a world boxing title without first boxing as an amateur”.
He is the only boxer in the world to win every cruiserweight title conceivable: California, United States Boxing Association, North America Boxing Federation, World Boxing Council International (twice) and the current World Boxing Federation champion.