Nigeria’s solitary hope in the men’s 91kg heavyweight boxing of the Commonwealth Games, Efetebor Apochi, has kept hopes of fighting for- at least bronze- medal alive after seeing off Australia’s Jai Opetaia by unanimous decision.
The Nigeria boxing team captain, 26, progressed into Friday’s semi-final after all three judges recorded his fight against Opetaia in his favour.
Judges 1,2 and 3 recorded triple 29s for the Nigerian against 19-year-old Opetaia’s triple 28s.
The Orogun, Ibadan-born boxer almost dug a hole in the ring with a couple of somersaults, which ended with a canny little shake of his hips, in celebration of his passage to the medal event of the boxing category.
The only obstacle in Apochi’s route to final is Canada’s Samir El-Mais, 33, who also won in split decision over England’s Warren Baister in the first quarter-finals fight at the SECC on Wednesday.
Apochi, who has named Floyd Mayweather, Mike Tyson and Manny Pacquiao as his heroes, knocked out Isle of Man’s Krystian Borucki in just 2.33secs of round one round of 16 bout on Sunday.
