Nigeria’s boxing hopes fade after Akintola’s early exit

Team Nigeria's campaign at the 23rd Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, faced another setback as boxer David Akintola crashed out in the opening round of the men's 80kg category. Akintola, considered one of Nigeria's promising talents in boxing, was defeated 4-1 by Tanzania's Yusef Lucasi Changalewa in their Round of 32 contest held at the SEC Centre.

Throughout the bout, Akintola struggled to assert dominance, allowing Changalewa to control the pace with superior combinations, movement, and cleaner scoring punches. The Tanzanian boxer repeatedly found openings with well-timed attacks, leaving Akintola in a position where he was largely chasing the fight for extended periods. The judges' final 4-1 decision clearly favored Changalewa, highlighting his superiority on the night and securing his progression to the Round of 16.

Changalewa is now set to face Kenya's Robert Okaka in the next round. For Nigeria, Akintola's defeat signifies a further decline in their boxing medal aspirations. This marks the third consecutive first-round elimination for Nigerian boxers at the games, following the earlier exits of Ayomide Hassan and Abdulramon Abdulwahab on Friday. Hassan had suffered a comprehensive 4-0 points defeat to Lesotho's Refiloe Thai in the men's 70kg Round of 32 bout.

With three of their leading contenders already out of the competition, Team Nigeria now faces a formidable challenge to salvage their boxing campaign and keep alive any hopes of securing a podium finish in the discipline. The article also notes other results in the men's 80kg category, including Uganda's Alfred Ojok's dominant 5-0 victory over Niue's Kilani Anitelea-Launiu.