WBF President Howard Goldberg to attend historic title fight in Port Harcourt

The World Boxing Federation (WBF) President Howard Goldberg is set to attend the highly anticipated “Simplified Rumble in Rivers for Champions” event in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, on 7 December.

The event will feature Taiwo Agbaje versus Loren Japhet of Tanzania for the vacant WBF Featherweight world title at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium.

In a video message, Mr Goldberg expressed his excitement about the event, stating, “Very exciting news that we have a world title fight coming up in Port Harcourt, Rivers State in Nigeria on the 7th of December, and we place great emphasis on the importance of this fight, the magnitude of this fight.”

Mr Goldberg prioritized attending this event over a previously planned trip to Las Vegas.

Mr Goldberg, president of one of the world’s top ten boxing sanctioning bodies, has also arranged for a top European referee to officiate the event.

He shared his enthusiasm for boxing’s progress in Nigeria and his hope for another Nigerian world champion, saying, “It’s exciting news for Nigeria; it’s important to see that Nigerian boxing belongs at the top, and hopefully, we will have a world champion after the 7th of December.”

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The event in Port Harcourt promises to be thrilling, with nine additional bouts, including the return of undefeated former world heavyweight title contender Ike ‘the President’ Ibeabuchi after 20 years of incarceration in the USA.

Promoter Emmanuel Emenogu has changed the venue from Alfred Diete Spiff Sports Center to the larger Yakubu Gowon Stadium to accommodate the expected large turnout of fight fans.

The “Simplified Rumble in Rivers for Champions” event is shaping up to be a significant moment for Nigerian boxing, with Mr Goldberg’s attendance and the high-profile bouts lined up.