Boxing
Nigeria Fast Rising Female Boxer Ojo Joy Set for Kigali Fight Night Clash Against Kutaka
This Saturday night, in Kigali Nigeria’s fast-rising prospect Ojo Joy will take another bold step in her young career when she faces Tanzania’s determined challenger Zawadi Kutaka at Kigali Fight Night.
It’s a matchup that feels perfectly poised. Both are 24-year-olds, both hungry, both eager to prove a point, but carrying very different momentum into the ring.
Ojo Joy arrives unbeaten, five fights, five wins, steadily building belief and attention with each outing.
Her journey has been one of quiet consistency, backed by growing confidence after her recent success at Chaos in the Ring and recognition at the Fight Gist Media Boxing Awards.
Each performance has added another layer to her reputation, and in Kigali, she has the chance to take that next leap.
Across the ring stands Kutaka, a fighter whose record tells a more turbulent story, but one that often breeds resilience.
With a mix of wins and losses, the Tanzanian has experienced both ends of the fight game — and that unpredictability could make her a dangerous opponent on the night.
Set in the super-featherweight division, the six-round clash may not carry a title, but it holds real significance.
For Ojo, it is about protecting her perfect record while announcing herself on a bigger stage.
For Kutaka, it is an opportunity to disrupt the narrative and claim a defining victory.
As Kigali hosts the action, the atmosphere is expected to match the stakes — electric, tense, and full of anticipation.
And when the bell rings at the KCC Roundabout, records and predictions will give way to instinct, power, and will.
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The post Nigeria Fast Rising Female Boxer Ojo Joy Set for Kigali Fight Night Clash Against Kutaka appeared first on Sports247 Nigeria.
Boxing
Usman Learning from the Bottom Again, Seeks Redemption Against Du Plessis After 13-Month Layoff
Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman believes he is back in familiar territory as he prepares for a defining clash against ex-middleweight king Dricus du Plessis at UFC Fight Night in Oklahoma City this Saturday.
READ ALSO: Kamaru Usman Reveals How Defeats Became His Greatest Weapon Ahead of New UFC Chapter
After spending more than a decade as one of the UFC’s most dominant champions, “The Nigerian Nightmare” now finds himself rebuilding his career from the ground up following a difficult spell that saw him lose his welterweight crown.
Rather than dwell on the setbacks, Usman has embraced the challenge of proving himself all over again.
Saturday’s showdown marks his first fight in 13 months and his first full-scale appearance as a middleweight.
Although he previously stepped in on short notice against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294, this will be his first full training camp competing permanently at 185 pounds.
The move presents a fresh opportunity for the 39-year-old, who impressed in his last outing by defeating Joaquin Buckley with a wrestling-heavy performance that reminded fans why he was once considered one of the UFC’s pound-for-pound best.
Standing across from him will be former middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis, who is equally eager to bounce back after suffering a crushing defeat to Khamzat Chimaev that ended his 11-fight winning streak and cost him the UFC middleweight title.
With current champion Sean Strickland yet to announce his next title defence, the stakes could hardly be higher.
Both men own victories over Strickland, making Saturday’s headline bout a potential title eliminator.
For Usman, the contest is about more than rankings. It is an opportunity to prove that his championship pedigree remains intact despite the long layoff and a change in weight class.
A convincing victory over the dangerous South African would immediately thrust the Nigerian back into the middleweight title conversation and complete another remarkable chapter in a career built on resilience and reinvention.
The UFC Fight Night main event takes place this weekend at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, with both former champions aiming to take a major step toward another world title shot.
The post Usman Learning from the Bottom Again, Seeks Redemption Against Du Plessis After 13-Month Layoff appeared first on Sports247 Nigeria.
The post Khelif’s first professional fight in Paris postponed due to injury appeared first on Made In Africa Sport.
Fast-rising Nigerian-born heavyweight boxer, Moses Itauma is facing a huge dilemma of choice, following a directive by World Boxing Federation (IBF) that he must face Frank Sanchez of Cuba in a title fight before the end of this year.
Sports247 reports that Itauma already has a bout lined up in August, which leaves him with a tough decision to take, after IBF ordered him into an agreement with Sanchez as soon as July 29th.
It’s now left to be seen if the 21-year-old Nigerian-born Britiish boxing prodigy will drop his date in August in order to concentrate on the IBF title fight, or he could try to muscle both bouts together in a huge gamble.
The dilemma facing Itauma arises after highly dominant Ukrainian, but now erstwhile three-belt holder, Oleksandr Usyk relinquished his IBF strap, along with his World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Council (WBC) titles in one swoop.
While WBC upgraded their interim champion, Agit Kabayel to take up the main belt, following Usyk’s decision, IBF have moved to arrange a bout for the vacant title, with specificc attention on Itauma, who in March got a fifth-round win over USA’s Jermaine Franklin.
Itauma is among the top three contenders on all three cards, but IBF have made the first move in trying to muscle Britain’s Best Boxer of The Year 2026 into an epic title shot within the shortest time possibile.
This is despite the fact that Itauma is already scheduled to fight Filip Hrgovic of Croatia at London’s O2 Arena on August 29th, in what he has referred to as his ‘toughest fight,’ but he may now decide to pull out or face Sanchez afterwards.
A report by Yahoo Sports adds, “Itauma has been ordered by the IBF to hold talks with Cuba’s Frank Sanchez about fighting for the vacant heavyweight title.
“The IBF said that, ‘in accordance with championship rules,’ it now wants Sanchez, who is number one in their heavyweight rankings, to fight number three contender Itauma. They have until 29 July to reach an agreement.”
The post Moses Itauma Faces Tough Decision After IBF Orders Manadatory Title Fight With Sanchez appeared first on Sports247 Nigeria.
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