Elizabeth Oshoba became the first Nigerian since the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne to reach a final of a boxing event in a major international tournament at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. In an interview with OLUWAMAYOMIKUN OREKOYA, the Commonwealth silver medallist said she is excited about the future after her heroics in Birmingham.
In the evening of Saturday 6 August 2022 at the National Exhibition Centre Hall 4 in Birmingham, Elizabeth Temidayo Oshoba was on cloud nine.
Oshoba became the first Nigerian boxer to reach a major international tournament final since Adura Olalehin in the 2006 Commonwealth Games after she beat Australia’s Tina Rahimi in the women’s featherweight boxing semi-finals at the recently concluded 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
But a day later, the 23-year-old two-time National Sports Festival gold medallist had to face an intimidating Michaela Walsh from Northern Ireland in the finals.
Walsh, a double Commonwealth silver medallist, was baying for blood after losing to an agonising split decision to England’s Nicola Adams in the women’s flyweight final in Glasgow in 2014 and saw history repeat itself against Skye Nicolson of Australia on the Gold Coast in Australia four years later. And the 29-year-old, capped off an excellent day at the ring for her country, who won an incredible five gold medals to top the boxing event, beating Oshoba by unanimous decision.
Despite the loss, the Lagos State-born boxer is proud of her achievement in what was her first appearance outside the shores of Africa.
Not only did she reach the final of her event, she secured a place in the annals of women boxing in Nigeria second only to the legendary Edith Agu-Ogoke, who became the first Woman represent Nigeria at a major international tournament – 2012 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China as well as winning a first women’s boxing medal for Nigeria at a major international sporting event with her Women’s Middleweight bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
“I give God all the glory for letting me get to the finals in Birmingham,” the 2019 African Games Bronze medallist said. “I had been working hard for many years to even qualify for the Games and getting to the finals on my first try was amazing. I was so happy to get to the finals.
“I am so proud to have represented my country admirably and I am equally proud to be paving the way for future generations of women taking up the sport and I am so proud of the boxer I am constantly developing and becoming.
“My advice to the young female boxers is to be focused and be determined. And they should not let anything whatsoever distract them from achieving their goals.”
Gone are the days when boxing was an exclusive sport for men with more and more women embracing the sport and Oshoba could not but notice the achievement women’s boxing have gained in recent years.
She said: “While boxing is still very much a male-dominated sport, women’s boxing has grown dramatically, and you can see from our performance in major competitions. Since Edith won the bronze medal in 2014, in the last two Games, women have won five out of Nigeria six medals in the Boxing Event.”
In the 2018 Games in Gold Coast, Australia; Millicent Agboegbulem and Yetunde Odunuga won Nigeria’s only medals in the boxing event while in Birmingham, Cythia Ogunsemilore and Jacinta Umunnakwe both won bronze medals for the country.
Ifeanyi Onyekwere, who won the Super Heavy-weight bronze medal is the only male boxer to win an international medal for Nigeria since Efetobor Apochi and Efe Ajagba won bronze medals in Glasgow eight years ago.
Despite the laurels women boxing have brought to Nigeria in recent times, most are still treated as second class athletes even in a sport that hardly gets any financial backing from the sporting authorities and corporate bodies.
“I have faced a lot of challenges as a boxer and as a sports lady,” Oshoba revealed. “At times after training, there was no food to eat or hardly any transport to take us home. Also, we have no sponsors even after winning multiple medals both in Nigeria and abroad.
“But despite all his challenges, I didn’t let anything distract me from achieving my aims,” she added.
Oshoba also revealed how she started the sport when she was a teenager – by watching a woman box and believing in herself that she can also become a boxer.
She continued: “I love sports, I played different sports when I was growing up. So when I saw a lady boxing one day, I said to myself I can also do this and that’s how I took up boxing.
“But it was my brother and my parents that motivated me to do it. They did not stop me from going to training and even encouraged me to take boxing seriously when I was not serious about it at one time.
“My parents were in support of it, and they really love what I am doing. They happen to be my first motivation in boxing.”
On her plans, Oshoba said she would not dwell on her Commonwealth near miss and is focusing on leading Nigeria to a podium finish in the next Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.
“I have always wanted to turn professional and winning a world title is something I want to achieve in my career, but first I want to represent and win a medal for Nigeria at the Olympic Games. These competitions mean a lot to me because they provide an avenue to gain experience in the sport.
“While I was very disappointed to lose the finals, I can look back and take the positives from it all because it made me a better boxer,” she said.