BY News Agency
Former Cruiserweight boxing champion, Bash Ali, said he would not be frustrated in his quest to record Nigeria’s name in the Guinness World Records in spite of his financial inadequacies.
Ali plans to fight against Rick Camlin, a 32-year-old International Boxing Union (IBU) boxer from the United States, to be able to make the record of being the oldest boxing champion ever – a record he has been pursuing since 1996 without being able to get a fight.
He, however, told NAN in an interview that not even his indebtedness to companies and individuals could stop him from achieving his goal.
“I’m staying at Young Shall Grow Lodge and as I am talking to you now I owe almost half a million naira.
“I’m supposed to be staying at Transcorp (Hilton) not Young Shall Grow Lodge; I am supposed to live large because I am going to bring nothing less than $500 million to Nigeria.
“I’m going to bring growth and development; I’m going to create jobs and wealth and I’m in Young Shall Grow and I’m owing N500,000.
“I have members of this group that I pay every month; nobody knows how I do that and I still manage to keep my pride but inside I’m nothing; I’m broke.
“I turned down 11million Euro; I said I will not go to Germany, this fight must hold in Nigeria. That is how much a patriot I am.
“So, when somebody comes and says ‘Bash Ali wait’, they can afford to tell me wait because they have money; they can tell me to wait because they have food to eat.
“I’m broke, I have nothing.”
The boxer further told NAN that he was working hard to raise the $1million demanded by the International Boxing Union (IBU) for the fight to hold in Nigeria.
He explained that concerted efforts would be made to see that the Nigeria Export Import (NEXIM) Bank and the Bank of Industry provide the funds.
The two banks are members of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the fight.
Ali also said that he would persuade state governors to sponsor the fight to guarantee them the right to host it after the logistic requirements might have been met.
The fight, he said, will attract no fewer than 12 million viewers.
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