Taofeek, why did you abandon me' I have tried to reach you all this while and even sent you a text but you refused to reply me, that was Bash Ali calling me some two weeks back.No world champion, I cannot abandon you sir, my phone crashed and I could not trace your number again, lets thank God you were able to get me, I had replied.Bashiru Ali, A Nigerian who is known as Bash Ali won the World Boxing Federation cruiserweight title in 2001. Now he is publicly campaigning in vain so far for a bout that would give him a shot at entering Guinness World Records as the oldest boxer to win a world titleNew York Times, Sports Wednesday, December 17, 2008.I have heard about him, I have read about him but I got to know and met him for the first time sometimes in March last year when he briefed the press about his much publicized Guinness World Record fight at the boardroom of the Ministry of Youth and Sports at the Federal Secretariat.Bash Ali (OON) had insisted that he want the fight to be staged in Nigeria so that according to him, Nigeria can benefit a lot from this fight and put us on the global stage.World champion, that is what I call him, come around as an individual who is bold, fearless, straightforward, blunt and frank. No matter what you say, he always has a way of expressing his views. Speaking on how he got into boxing in an interview, Bash said, Boxing was a total coincidence. I was a wrestler when I left Nigeria. In fact, I left on a wrestling scholarship. Mildred Burke Professional School of Wrestling in the USA gave me a scholarship and I left for America in September 1974. But when I got to USA, I saw the wrestlers, all 6feet 9inches, 400pounds, and here I was, 160pounds. I knew they would simply kill me. So, I went to school and was looking for work one day when I saw a poster of Mohamed Ali on the wall and I went in and saw two guys in boxing bout. So, I told the supervisor I would like to spar with one of them, and he told me to come the following day.Bash said he has been frustrated by those in government who wants him to grease their palms before the World Record fight can come a reality. He has been on the journey for the fight since 2006 but a tinge of hope came when in 2014, the then Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi inaugurated the local organizing committee (LOC) for the Bash Ali Guinness Book of World Records Title Fight Project.Bash is seeking a fight with Rick Camlin, a German. He told me he has met with the honorable minister of sports, Solomon Dalung on how the fight will be staged in Nigeria and not anywhere else. The purpose is that we have a deadline on March 10, 2017 and Nigerian must do two thing. One is to write a letter to the International Boxing Union that Nigeria is a safe place for the fight to take place, two to facilitate the quick release of $1million for approval for Nigerian to host this fight. Solomon Dalung did this on July 15, 2016 and up till now he has not done anything again. So this is the way they drag Nigeria backward. The Germans are saying if you country is not interested why cant you come to German to fight but I told I want the fight in Nigeria. George Foreman set the Guinness World of Record fight in America his countryAccording to Bash, he wants Dalung to facilitate quick release of money for the fight. He said two banks; NEXIM Bank and the Bank of Industry have been mandated to fund the fight to the tune of $100milion domiciled in the banks.My candid advice to Bash is to humble himself to those in authorities so that the fight can take place. Frequent clashes with those in power will take him nowhere and this is an opportunity for him to write his name in the folklore as the oldest boxer (at 61) to stage a fight and probably wins.On the part of the government too, we must not allow the labour of past heroes be in vain. What needs to be done should be done at the right time. Bash has served this great country well and nothing will be too small or big to make him realise his life ambition to enjoy a great future ahead of him.
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