I won’t let my children go into boxing – Boxing judge, Jacob

Veteran boxing judge and board member of the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control, Folorunsho Jacob\

Veteran boxing judge and board member of the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control, Folorunsho Jacob, tells KAZEEM BUSARI why Nigerians have not been world champions

How long have you been in boxing?

I’ve been in boxing right from my youth days but I did not turn pro. I was the captain of my school amateur boxing team when I was at Sapele Technical College. I was fond of collecting newspaper cuttings of boxers advertised in the 1960s to the early 70s. We were coached by our bricklaying instructor in school; he was an Irish boxing fan.

I was doing a bit of boxing when I was at Ibadan Commercial Academy before going to Sapele. By then, boxing was very popular and everyone wanted to be a boxer. I used to train at Longsi Moon boxing gym in Ibadan, it was owned by a Togolese. Boxers in my category were only featured as undercards at major events back then because I was just 14 years old.

I always wore a disguise whenever I went to training or for a competition because my mother must never know I was into the sport. Each time I came back with swollen face, she would fret but I lied every time that I had minor accidents at school.

What attracted you to boxing at that young age?

Nothing more than to see two able-bodied men fighting for supremacy. Of course, there was the angle of making some money, but that played little role in my love for the sport.

Why didn’t you go pro?

I was about the best boxer during my days at Government Technical College in Sapele; I represented the school on several occasions. But during my school days, I had this freak accident that resulted in the loss of my right thumb. We had just six months to pass out of school in 1962 but the accident landed me at the orthopaedic hospital, where I spent 11 months. After that, I was in rehab where I learnt how to use my left hand. I went back to school and later got a scholarship to study in Germany.

If it wasn’t for the accident, would you have settled for boxing?

I was a prospect in boxing in my school days. My opponents were wary of my powerful right punch, and with orthodox stance, I scared many of my peers. I would have considered a career in boxing. But before the accident we heard of a boxer that died in the ring during a fight; that put fear into many of us in the school. I think it was at that point I was not sure if I would go far in the sport. I was worried a boxing career could break my mother’s heart.

There were great boxers in your time unlike what we have now

We had many of them. We had boxers like Bola Lawal, Teddy Odu, Ghana’s Roy Ankrah, who was the British featherweight champion, and Idowu Lanford. All these men did well in Africa and Europe between 1965 and the early 70s. There was also Hogan Bassey, a Commonwealth and world champion.

Do you think Nigeria is getting it right with amateur boxing?

Amateur boxers should be discovered from their early teenage years, not when they are over 20. As far as I’m concerned, most of the amateur boxers practising now have no business staying at that level. Boxers like Obisia Nwankpa, Eddie Ndukwu and Tony Andeh all entered professional boxing early in life. Nigeria currently does not have any boxer as a world champion, and only very few are rated as title contenders. 

The implication of turning professional late in your career is that you don’t get to master the tough side of the sport early enough. At the end of the day, you’ll have a 20-year-old professional boxer knocking out a 30-year-old who turned pro very late. This has negatively affected Nigeria a great deal. In Europe, after major amateur competitions like the Commonwealth Games or the Olympics, boxers quickly turn pro. The problem with Nigerian boxing is poor planning; we don’t plan to have the youths dominate the sport.

I was a judge at an African title contest in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso recently and I was asked several times by African boxing executives why Nigerians are no longer title contenders as it was in the past, but I could not give a cogent answer. It’s painful going to the international convention every year and there’s no Nigerian boxer to push forward to get a title shot. You cannot play the politics very well if you don’t have any boxer at the top level to push forward. It was the politics that delayed Olusegun Ajose from getting a title shot early. When he eventually got it, he was not at his best.

Which is your biggest fight that you ever officiated?

I officiated a world title bout as a judge in Paris in 1993, but the most memorable of my judging days was during Nigeria’s Hunter Clay’s fight against Kofi Quaye of Ghana at the National Stadium in 1992. It was a WBC International super middleweight title contest and late M.K.O Abiola was there to watch the fight. When it appeared Clay was losing the fight in the seventh and eighth rounds, Abiola whispered to the officials around to tell him that there was a N50,000 cash reward if he won the fight. That inspired Clay and he dominated the rest of the fight that night.

How have you kept yourself abreast of boxing since retiring as judge?

I still attend world boxing conventions organised by the WBC and other international boxing bodies. As a board member of the NBB of C, I’m still involved in the organisation of the sport in Nigeria.

Would you let your children go into boxing?

I was officiating a bout some years back at the National Stadium when suddenly an uppercut from one of them got a tooth flying from his opponent. The tooth landed on my white shirt, staining it with blood. A journalist asked me after the fight if I would allow my children go into boxing knowing that they could also lose their teeth that way. I told him clearly I would never allow it. I have great respect for boxers because of their courage and determination, but I can’t stand it seeing my children pummelled in the ring. It’s a merciless game. I respect the likes of the Mayweathers and Mohammed Ali who had no problem seeing their children fight in the ring.