The Federal Government has again refused involvement in the proposed Guinness World Record boxing fight to feature former champion, Bash Ali.
The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development said in a statement on Sunday that the proposed bout falls under the purview of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control.
It said the government had washed its hands off the fight via series of documents and correspondence with Bash Ali.
The ministry added that it has also informed the boxer through his lawyers, B.O. Nafagha & Co., to refrain from acts that interfered with its activities, adding that the pugilist had been pressuring officials to endorse the fight.
“The ministry under the directive of Mr. President in a letter, dated 10th March, 2020 made it clear that it is not the proper platform for your client to realise his pet project,” the ministry wrote in a letter to Ali’s lawyers.
Bash Ali made history in 1985 as the first World Boxing Federation (WBF) cruiser-weight boxing champion from Africa.
The 63-year-old is seeking to enter the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest boxer to win a world title.
The former boxer, who has not competed professionally for more than a decade, is seeking to take on an unidentified American boxer in a bid to clinch the world record.
