The Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has denied given approval to
former boxing champion, Bash Ali to stage a world fight in Nigeria.
Kola Daniel, Special Assistant (Media) to Minister of Youth and Sports
Development, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said the Legal Department of the ministry had written to the boxer
warning him to desist from peddling false claims about a non-existent
approval from the office of the minister for the fight.
Daniel reiterated that no such approval was granted by President
Muhammadu Buhari contrary to claims by the boxer that the approval was
conveyed to him by the office of the minister.
He therefore asked the boxer to keep to the facts and follow due process in his
plans to stage the fight.
D.A. Muhammad, Director, Legal Services in the ministry also denied the
boxer’s claim.
Muhammad said in a letter dated Jan.7, 2020 that no approval has been
granted by either the ministry or the presidency for the fight.
“It is to be recalled that on Nov.4, 2019 a meeting was held between the
ministry and yourself in the company of Director, Legal Department and other
senior staff of the ministry, wherein the ministry was categorical about not
entering into any meaningful discussion with you in relation to the Guinness
Record Fight until the litigation between you and the ministry is amicably
sorted out.
“It is in this regard the ministry is surprised to note your manipulation of
information to the effect that approval has been granted you to carry out the
World Guinness Record Fight.
“I am accordingly therefore, by this letter, directed to convey that no approval
whatsoever was granted you by Mr President or the Ministry, and it will be in
your overall interest to issue another letter stating the factual situation that
took place between the office of the Minister and your good self on the said
date in order for us to make further progress on the said matter,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Bash Ali in 1985 made history
as the first World Boxing Federation (WBF) cruiser-weight boxing champion
from Africa.
The 63 – year old former boxing champion is seeking to enter the Guinness
Book of Records as the oldest boxer to win a world title.
The former boxer who has not competed professionally for more than a
decade is seeking to take on a yet-to- be identified American boxer in a bid to
clinch the world record.
The proposed fight has, however, been fraught with lots of controversies.
