Monarch Promotions boss plans bigger BoxFest in Lagos

Thrilled by the reception his maiden boxing extravaganza received in April, Monarch Promotions Chief Executive Officer, Prince Stanley Williams, has promised a bigger and better promotion subsequently.

Monarch Promotions held its maiden event, tagged BoxFest, a premium-boxing event specially tailored to provide fight fans with live professional boxing contests, on April 7 at Eko Hotels Convention Hall.

The event, he said, was part of the renewed vigour to take boxing back to its leading position in Nigerian sports with a view of luring the country’s teeming youths to the sport.

“This is not going to be a one off show, this is just like a test for us, boxing fans should expect something bigger and better from Monarch Promotions in the coming months,” Prince Williams said.

The boxing show which was laced with musical entertainment by some A-list artistes promoted by Monarch Promotions had a card of six thrilling bouts on the night. The bouts included two WBU world title fights, one WBU African title fight and one West African Boxing Union title fight.

In the first bout, Cynthia Ogunsemilore, making her pro debut, beat another debutant, Habibat Ismail, over four rounds in a national featherweight challenge contest.

It got tougher in bout two where Sule Olagbade of Nigeria beat Stephen Okine of Ghana by TKO in round six of their scheduled 10 rounds to win the vacant West Africa Boxing Union (WABU) Light Middleweight title.

The third bout, an international heavyweight challenge, which pitched England-based Nigerian, Tony Salam against Eugen Buchmueller of Germany, went the whole mile before Salam carried the day, winning via a unanimous decision.

The stakes were equally high in the fourth bout as Australia-based King Davidson of Nigeria took on Ishmael Tetteh of Ghana for the vacant World Boxing Union (WBU) Middleweight title.