Following the end of the national open trials at the Brai Ayonote Boxing Complex, National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria has chosen a 10-person boxing team for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The Nigeria Boxing Federation organized the four-day event, which drew 148 boxers from 10 weight divisions—121 men and 27 women. The right to represent the nation in the Games was granted to the winners of each category.
Patricia Mbata, a fighter from the UK who won gold in the women’s 70kg event to guarantee her spot on the national team, was one of the standout performers. Days prior to her victory, the 2023 African Games champion received a video message from Anthony Joshua, a former world heavyweight champion, encouraging her to pursue gold.
Udoette Happiness (51 kg), Ajishola Kadijat (57 kg), Sodipe Damilola (65 kg), and Edoka Celestine (+70 kg) are among the other female boxers who qualified.
Ogunremi Michael (55 kg), Wahab Abdurrahman (65 kg), Folly Hassan (70 kg), Daniel Joshua (80 kg), and Anigbodo Kenneth (90 kg) are the male fighters who made the cut.
Babatunde Laguda, the federation’s technical director, commended the athletes and administrators for their commitment during the difficult trials.
“We made sure that every battle was fair, even if the contests frequently ran late into the night. We will still bring some of the top boxers to camp as sparring partners because winning does not always equate to being the best. The success of the team will depend heavily on their contributions, he stated.
Vivian Azimene, the secretary-general of the federation, had earlier stated that a few boxers would go to camp and that other outstanding fighters from the trials would also be invited to assist with training as sparring partners.
Nigeria will be looking to improve on their performance at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where a nine-man team captained by Abdul-Afeez Osoba won four medals. Ifeanyi Onyekwere, Jacinta Umunnakwe, and Cynthia Ogunsemilore took home bronze, while Elizabeth Oshoba earned silver.
The SEC Centre in Glasgow will host the 2026 Commonwealth Games from July 24 to August 1. There will be 14 boxing events, equally divided between men and women. Athletics, swimming, gymnastics, cycling, netball, bowling, and basketball are among the other sports offered.
