By Jane Daniels
Date: September 30, 2026
The 9th edition of the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Chief Uche Ugwu, and ALGON Grassroots Boxing Talent Hunt has discovered five budding boxers for national and international competitions.
The 2026 finals, held in Enugu on Wednesday, produced Maxwell Anikwe (50kg) from Nkanu West; Jude Ugwuanyi (60kg) from Nsukka; Hilary Favour (55kg, female) from Enugu North; Peter Abonyi (50kg) and Kingsley Ossai (49kg), both from Isi-Uzo.
The South-East Coordinator of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mr Bernard Ezema, commended Ugwu and ALGON for creating opportunities to discover and nurture grassroots talents.
He urged the young boxers to remain disciplined and work towards mastering the sport.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Post Primary Schools Management Board (PPSMB), Rev. Fr. Hilary Mgbodile, praised the Speaker for identifying young talents early and commended the board’s partnership with the programme.
The speaker, Uche Ugwu said Enugu had abundant sporting talents that needed to be discovered and empowered, adding that boxing offered career and financial opportunities.
The event coordinator, Mr Ikechukwu Okonkwo, said the initiative had helped young athletes develop discipline, fitness and self-defence skills while opening doors to sustainable livelihoods.
One of the discoveries, Ugwuanyi, identified late boxing legend Muhammad Ali as his role model, while Favour said she had nurtured the ambition to become a boxer since childhood, despite societal perceptions about girls in the sport.
