The umbrella body of former boxers in Nigeria, Association of Nigeria ex-Boxing Internationals, have heeded the call and are on the verge of bringing succour the way of ailing former Nigerian boxer, Jeremiah Okorodudu who has been down with stroke.
News filtered in early in November that the former national boxing coach who competed for Nigeria in the men’s middleweight category at the 1984 Olympic games in Los Angeles, USA, had suffered a stroke and was living from hand to mouth with no hope of assistance coming from any quarters.
The South-South born ex-pugilist who won gold at the 1979 National Sports Festival, underwent surgery in 2020 and could have been stuck at the hospital for not being able to foot his medical bills but for the intervention of the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, who came to his aid financially.
A year down the line, “Jerry boy” as he is fondly called has suffered a relapse but when all hopes seem to have been lost, his former colleagues in the boxing circuit have now come to his rescue by raising a million naira for his immediate treatment and sustenance.
Speaking from his base in the USA, Eromosele Albert, a retired Nigerian middleweight boxer and president of Elite Fitness who currently resides in Miami, the Association of Nigeria ex-boxing professionals is concerned about the welfare of Okorodudu and is ready to take charge of his wellbeing.
“I was informed by Friday Ahunanya of the plight of Jerry Okorodudu and as the president of the Nigeria ex-boxers I had to place a call to most of our former colleagues everywhere for support and we have raised almost N1million for his treatment. We are presenting him with the money in 24 hours. We don’t want something bad to happen to him. We don’t want to start looking for money for burial”, a very disturbed Eromosele disclosed.
“After you represent Nigeria, you are abandoned and this is a classic case. I just have to say a big thank you to fellow ex-boxers like Friday Ahunanya, Rasmos Ojemaye, Enahoro Albert, Solomon Egberime, Franklyn Egobi, Ideh Ochuko, Egburu, Sunkanmi, all these guys contributed and we just want him to know we are behind him, we support him 100 per cent and we look forward to having him back on his feet”, Eromosele Albert, known as the “bad boy” in his days concluded.
It will be recalled that Friday Felix, a former Nigerian amateur boxer and member of the nation’s contingent to Harare ’95 All African Games, got the sum of N300,000 (N.3m) from the same Association to take care of his medical bills in 2020.
Felix, who won bronze at the 1995 African Games in Harare, Zimbabwe, had been down with stroke for a year before help came from the Albert Eromosele led Association of ex-Nigeria boxers.
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