Ilo not bothered by shift in heavyweight title defence date

Africa’s light heavyweight boxing champion, Jude Ilo, who was supposed to defend his title in Hana next month, says he is not bothered by the postponement of the bout due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ilo was one of the top acts in the African Boxing Championship earlier scheduled to hold in Accra, Ghana, where he was to meet a South African opponent.

Ilo told The Guardian at the weekend that the postponement will give him the opportunity to train harder for the title fight, adding that he will be ready whenever the bout is rescheduled.

He commended African health workers involved in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that Nigeria’s Presidential Task Force on the pandemic headed by Boss Mustapha, have been doing a lot for the benefit of the citizens.

The boxer, who also said the inactivity in the sports sector since March is in the best interest of athletes, said the rise in the number of positive cases demands that every Nigerian must cooperate with the government to fight the virus.

He advised athletes to devise ways of training in their homes to kill boredom and keep fit pending when the government deems it fit to restart sporting activities.