Convener of the Forum for the Abolition of Boxing and the UFC (F-ABU), Tosin Akande, has said, “his passion for the abolition of these sports stems from his devotion to the cause of humanity,” adding that if “we (humans) deem ourselves modern, why are people made to fight? And what is the idea behind it?”

A lawyer and author, Akande said F-ABU is an NGO that advocates for the abolition of combat sports, specifically boxing and the UFC. He stated that he looked into the evolution of man (the things that happened as man evolved), and the inception of boxing and the approach of the leading lights at the time.

Akande said that there was a case in London that led to a judicial decision, which ultimately caused the abolition of boxing. “Then, it wasn’t called boxing, it was called, pugilism, prize fighting,” he said.

Akande also said he looked at the legality of fighting, saying: “Legally speaking, is it right to fight? How much more or how much less to endorse via, you know, the efforts of promoters?”

He further stated that when boxing was banned in the UK, it moved to America. And that made America the hub of boxing.

According to him, the first boxing bout took place in the 17th century, involving a baker and a butler who fought at a king’s command.

Akande explained that the law that banned the organising of boxing matches was effective before Nigeria adopted the Received English Law, adding that the ban was still in effect when Nigeria embraced the law.

He claimed that he looked at all aspects of these sports, adding that they are not nice for us culturally. He said that if boxing is abolished, Africa will revert to its own kind of sports. He referenced Ijakadi (wrestling), claiming that he had looked at the scoring points. He said that the sport (Ijakadi) was not violent and that it still entertained people and made people happy.

“I looked at the scoring point in Ijakadi. You don’t have to carry anybody high up. You don’t slam. There’s no body slam, all right? There are no punches thrown. All you need to do is just make the person’s back touch the ground. You don’t have to be violent about it… That’s entertainment too. And it made our people happy,” he said.

Speaking on how abolishing these sports will impact the source of livelihoods of people, he said that the number of people who depend on boxing for sustenance, directly or indirectly, is less than the number of people outside boxing.