WHY NIGERIA BOXING FEDERATION REJECTED ANTHONY JOSHUA
It could have all turned out differently for Anthony Oluwafemi Joshua, the new world boxing heavyweight champion. Back in 2008, Joshua, then a greenhorn boxing hopeful, harbored lofty ambitions to compete on the international stage. Born in Watford, 16 miles north of London, to parents of Nigerian origins, he contacted Nigeria’s boxing federation about possibly representing the country at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was invited for a trial, aaccording to a story by ESPN. But after arriving late, with trials already wrapped up, Joshua was rejected and his short career as a Nigeria boxer ended before it even started. And fter defeating Wladimir Klitschko in London late on Saturday (April 29) to win the WBA and IBO heavyweight titles, in addition to his IBF title, many Nigerians couldn’t help but wonder if, had events in 2008 turned out differently, Joshua could have been fighting for Nigeria instead. For his part, Obisia Nwankpa, Nigeria’s boxing coach at the time, was una...