Commonwealth Games silver medallist and the World Boxing Council silver title holder Elizabeth Oshoba has been ruled out of the African Games set to take place in Accra, Ghana with an injury, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Following the Olympics rule change in 2016 enabling professional boxers to compete with their amateur counterparts, the African Games followed suit in 2019 as some professional boxers competed with amateurs in Morocco.
However, Nigeria did not field any professional boxers then and Oshoba would have been the first but for the injury.
A bronze medallist at the 2019 African Games in Rabat where she lost in the semis to Botswana’s Keamogetse Kenosi, Oshoba had accepted to be included in the team but an injury she sustained in a training session in London has ruled her out of the Games.
“I’m very disappointed, I was really looking forward to represent my country in the African Games,” Oshoba said.
National coach Tony Konyegawachie was equally disappointed following the injury that has knocked out Oshoba from the team.
“Oshoba was in my team but I’ve had to remove her because of the injury,” said Konyegawachie when he released the names of the 11 boxers who will represent the populous West African country in Accra.
The team includes all the three boxers who have qualified for the Paris Olympics and the longest serving international, Commonwealth Games middleweight bronze medallist Jacinta Umunnakwe who has moved up to light-heavyweight.
The team includes the three athletes who have secured qualification for the Paris Olympics, Africa featherweight bronze medallist Dolapo Omole, Africa heavyweight champion Adams Olaore and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Cynthia Ogunsemilore.
Africa middleweight silver medallist Patricia Mbata, one of Nigeria’s medal hopefuls, is also in the team.
Coach Konyagawachie’s team includes three newcomers, vastly improved female bantamweight Sukurah Kareem, light-middleweight Blessing Oraekwe and light-middleweight Yakubu Ibrahim all of whom will be making their international debut in Accra.
“We have selected the best boxers in the land. The rest we leave it to God to guide us,” Konyegawachie said.
