Due to the small matter of Anthony Joshua fighting Jake Paul on the same weekend, there are two boxing shows that could fly under the radar this week — but really, really shouldn’t.
On Saturday in Accra, Ghana, Matchroom host their first ever event in Africa with Craig Richards taking on Dan Azeez in a British light heavyweight match up. The following evening, around 250 miles away in Lagos, Nigeria, British heavyweight Lawrence Okolie, who is promoted by Queensberry, headlines against Ebenezer Tetteh.
Not only are they two intriguing cards, but the events could usher in the era of African boxing as a new major market for the sport, as the UK’s two biggest promoters look to establish themselves on the continent.
In the summer, Matchroom Boxing CEO Frank Smith and Freddie Cunningham, manager of Anthony Joshua, went on a fact-finding mission to Accra, assessing the possibility and practicality of the former two-time heavyweight champion fighting there in the future.
While that won’t happen this year, Joshua’s 258mgt company, of which Cunningham is also managing director, will help co-promote the Ghana show. Smith says it’s a huge moment for all involved.
“We want to grow the sport globally,” Smith told ESPN. “We want to be involved in these events all around the world. For us, the focus is to go into new markets with partners that we trust and believe in. We’re going to have 17,000 people there on Dec. 20. It’s going to be some atmosphere.
“They’re the kind of nights that you look back on and remember.”
Fighters and promoters have long talked about taking fights to Africa, but with little action.
There have of course been iconic events on the continent in the past, as well as smaller shows. Former world champion Amir Khan has promoted fights there, for example. But the real statement of intent comes from both Matchroom and Queensberry taking their businesses there, with high profile domestic names on the bill.
“This isn’t just a one-off thing,” Smith says. “It’s about a long-term partnership to try and build boxing in Ghana and then look across Africa as well and see what more we can do.”
The ultimate jewel in the crown would be seeing Joshua — who has a tattoo of the African continent on his arm, and has Nigerian heritage — fight in Ghana or Nigeria.
While it remains to be seen if that will happen, by his company co-promoting the Accra event, it shows the interest in growing the sport in those countries is real. It’s also important that both Queensberry and Matchroom’s nights are successes commercially and logistically. Anything else could spell the end of the Joshua dream and other big nights.
It comes as surprise then that it’s taken a lot of work to get to this stage.
“It’s been a lot of back and forth, a lot of conversations, a lot of hours, a lot of disagreements,” Ade Joshua, one of the organisers behind the Ghana show told ESPN. “When you’re trying to do something of this magnitude, it’s never ever going to be straightforward.
“I think the most important thing though is when you’re having a conversation with like-minded people and you have a common goal, you do end up getting to that destination.
“I think Africa in general, not just with boxing, but with a lot of sports, it has the ability to get overlooked and to be overlooked. I just feel like there’s a new generation leading the charge with things, whether that’s in sport, music, fashion … Whatever it is.”
For fighters with African heritage, the excitement is palpable.
Okolie was born in London, but his parents are both Nigerian. As soon as he got word there would be a fight night in Lagos this year, he made it clear he wanted to be there.
The former cruiserweight world champion turned heavyweight contender will headline the show on Dec. 21. It’s a potentially once-in-a-lifetime moment he is not taking for granted, for reasons both personal and professional.
The demand for tickets and interest from his extended family, many of whom have not seen him fight in person, as been overwhelming.
“My dad’s been bombarding me because people are [saying]: ‘Where’s the tickets? What’s going on?’ He’s like, man, we need a [bus], we needed this, we need that, because it’s going to be a great occasion,” Okolie says.
Okolie explains that belief from promoters has been a game changer. He was previously with Matchroom and has been wanting to fight in Nigeria for years.
“I’ve got [social media] posts of me asking Eddie [Hearn] back in 2017 and interviews, but the actual infrastructure either wasn’t there or the promoters in England didn’t really back or believe it.
“I just wanted the opportunity to kind of showcase a bit of what I do in Nigeria, that was it. I just spoke to the promoters, I said: ‘Let’s get this done’ and then we did. Fortunately, Queensberry was backing it and now we’re here.”
