Taiwo ‘Esepo’ Agbaje won the WBA Africa lightweight title on Sunday after defeating Tosin ‘Sojar Boy’ Osaigbovo by unanimous decision over 10 rounds at a sold-out Brai Ayanote Boxing Hall in the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
But the victory came at a cost.
Agbaje lost his N2 million pre-fight wager after failing to knock out Osaigbovo in the seventh round as he had publicly promised.
Agbaje had, in Muhammad Ali fashion, publicly named the seventh round as the moment Osaigbovo would fall, and staked N2 million of his own purse on the prediction.
“Everyone already knows I never lose. It’s a shame that you are going to get knocked out in round seven. Out of my purse, I want to bet N2 million that Sojar Boy will be knocked out,” he had told The PUNCH at a press conference in Ikeja.
Osaigbovo fired back, insisting victory was “1000 per cent sure” and warning Agbaje he would hand him his first professional defeat.
“If you are not careful, you will be the one to get knocked out. I am giving you your first loss,” he said.
The fight, however, went the distance.
Agbaje dominated across 10 competitive rounds, matching Osaigbovo punch for punch and the judges ruled unanimously in his favour at the final bell, crowning him the new WBA Africa lightweight champion and improving his record to 19-0.
But the knockout never came and with it went the N2 million.
The atmosphere inside the stadium reflected the profile of both fighters, with seats filled to capacity and fans standing in the aisles throughout the contest. Osaigbovo provided entertainment beyond the boxing, repeatedly sticking out his tongue to taunt Agbaje during exchanges — a display that drew loud reactions from the crowd but could not spare his unbeaten record.
The result ended Osaigbovo’s unbeaten run of 12 fights. Both men had entered the bout with unblemished records, Agbaje at 18-0 with 13 knockouts, Osaigbovo at 12-0, making the pre-fight exchanges all the more pointed.
The bout was promoted by De Lad’s Boxing Promotion and sanctioned by the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control.
De Lad’s Boxing Promotion Chairman, Alhaji Wahid Alabi, described the night as a landmark moment for Nigerian professional boxing.
He said the turnout validated the long wait to put the two fighters together.
Ariya Networks Director of Production, Tunji Aderibigbe, said the event exceeded expectations and reinforced the network’s confidence in investing further in Nigerian boxing.
NBBofC Secretary-General Remi Aboderin said the contest was a testament to the quality of fighters the board had been developing and sanctioning.
“This was a fine advertisement for professional boxing in Nigeria. Two unbeaten fighters, a full house and a clean contest — that is what the NBBofC works to deliver, and we delivered,” he said.
The WBA Africa title is a regional championship sanctioned by the World Boxing Association, one of the four major global boxing organisations.
It serves as a stepping stone for African fighters seeking to build their ranking and pursue world title opportunities.
Nigerian fighters have historically been strong contenders in the lightweight and super lightweight divisions at both the regional and world level.
