The Nigeria Boxing Federation (NBF) has announced a lineup of events for the first installment of the National boxing week and the 2026 Commonwealth Games open trials.
The week-long activities will take place from March 1–6, 2026, at the Brai Ayonote Boxing Complex, National Stadium, Lagos.
The Boxing Week will be headlined by the National Open Trials to select pugilists that will fly the country’s flag at the boxing event at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow Scotland.
The trials are open to all affiliated clubs, state associations, institutions, and eligible Nigerian boxers worldwide. Each affiliated body is expected to present one boxer per weight category.
The bouts will feature ten (10) weight categories:
Men: 55kg, 65kg, 70kg, 80kg, 90kg Women: 51kg, 57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 70+kg.
As part of activities, the NBF will also celebrate the life and legacy of Nigerian boxing legend, Hogan “Kid” Bassey — a national icon of the sport who brought global recognition to Nigeria.
Speaking on the significance of the boxing week, the vice president of the Nigeria Boxing Federation, Hon. Omonlei Imadu emphasized the importance of honoring the past while building a new future for the sport.
“Hogan Bassey remains an enduring symbol of courage, excellence, and national pride. As an icon, we want to celebrate him with respect and honor and show the young ones what it truly means to be a hero. His legacy must inspire a new generation of Nigerian champions.”
Imadu further reaffirmed that the National Open Trials, scheduled within the March 1–6 Boxing Week, will ensure a transparent, holistic, and merit-based selection process for the nation’s best boxers, both home-based and in the diaspora as he reiterated the Federation’s firm stance on transparency and fairness in athlete selection.
“The old tradition of selecting boxers without an open meritocracy is not what we want to do anymore, especially under the leadership of the National Sports Commission and its strong focus on merit. Every boxer must earn the right to wear the green and white through performance and discipline.”
“We are calling on all Nigerian boxers, at home and in the diaspora, to seize this opportunity. This open trial will determine who represents Nigeria at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Selection will be fierce, fair, and based strictly on merit.” Imadu added.
National Boxing Week will extend beyond competition. The Federation has also outlined a comprehensive developmental agenda that includes:
A joint seminar for referees and coaches, national orientation sessions for boxers to reinforce discipline, professionalism, and athlete conduct. It will include stakeholder engagement sessions to strengthen the domestic boxing ecosystem.
In a landmark move toward modernization, the NBF will also unveil newly developed digital assets during the Boxing Week. Over the past three months, the Federation has been working on projects to automate its licensing system, rebrand its official website and social media platforms, develop digital infrastructure to improve governance, transparency, and athlete management.
The NBF President His Excellency Hon. Wale Edun described the digital transformation as a critical pillar of reform.
“We are repositioning Nigerian boxing for global competitiveness, not just inside the ring, but administratively and technologically. Governance must be as strong as the punches our athletes throw.”
National Boxing Week promises to be a defining moment for the sport, blending history, competition, reform, and national pride into one landmark event.
