Ortiz Set for Allen in December 10 Showdown

Luis Ortiz will take on David Allen in a heavyweight battle on the undercard of Anthony Joshua v Eric Molina.

The Cuban sensation will be back in action after his European debut in Monte Carlo, in the Manchester Arena, on December 10.

‘King Kong’ Ortiz was left frustrated by Malik Scott’s approach last time out and with Anthony Joshua one of his targets, ‘King Kong’ is out to prove he is the next ruler of the heavyweight division.

“I’m so excited to be boxing in the UK and it’s great to be keeping busy,” said Ortiz. 

“Monaco was a great experience for me and although the fight didn’t play out like I hoped I felt I learnt a lot. 

“We looked at opponents for December 10 and we wanted someone who will come to fight for the fans.”

Allen was the first to call-out Ortiz following his European debut two weeks ago but had him in his sights before that.

The Doncaster man believes 37-year-old Ortiz is on his way down and following his own loss to Dillian Whyte in July, the ‘White Rhino’ is confident he will take a major heavyweight scalp on December 10.

“The day Eddie Hearn signed Luis Ortiz, I messaged him and said ‘I will fight him, stick me in with him.  “I didn’t hold any fear of fighting him even before the Malik Scott fight. But that fight showed that the hype isn’t real. Ortiz isn’t Superman – I think he’s on the slide even though he’s undefeated.

“I showed I have a good defence against Dillian Whyte, so I will be prepared for anything.

“I said to myself I would only fight the end of the year if it was against David Price, but this fight is even bigger so I couldn’t say no. I’m going to put it all on the line against him. I’m stick it on him early, smack him bang on the chin and see how it goes.

“I’m going to make Ortiz look like an old man in there. When he hits me, I’m going to stand there and smile at him. This is the fight that will catapult my career on the world scene”,,” he said

The fight between Ortiz and Allen is the third heavyweight showdown on a packed card in Manchester, topped by Joshua’s second IBF world title defence against Eric Molina.

Bitter rivals, Dillian Whyte and Dereck Chisora’s battle for the British title is chief support, with the British Boxing Board of Control insisting they pair have no further ‘face-offs’ in the build-up, following their heated Gloves Are Off incident.

El Marino Sports Club Canvasses Physical Fitness among Nigerians

Sequel to the fact that many young Nigerians are increasingly dying as a result of cardiovascular diseases, members of El Marino Sports Club have emphasised the need for more Nigerians to embark on healthy lifestyle through sporting activities such as regular exercises, table tennis and football which it also promotes among its members.

The Team Manager of the Lagos based club,  Seyi Adefarati, said the club, which is at the forefront of promoting physical fitness, engages members in weekly football and daily table tennis practice as well as regular exercises at the Centre for Management Development (CMD) in Lagos. He said the club was also set to execute its sports programmes in all the local government areas of Lagos state, starting from Ikosi-Isheri Local Council Development Area.

According to him, these were moves to encourage youths as well as adults to always engage in sports and to create awareness on the benefits of being physically fit.

Adefarati affirmed that being physically fit helps to control a person’s weight, lowers risk of heart disease, reduces type-2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, lowers risk of cancer, strengthens bones and muscles, enhances mental health and mood, improves a person’s ability to do daily activities and also increases the chance of living longer.

In view of this, the Team Captain of the Club, Mr. Chris Anazia, said the club’s activities were not limited to physical fitness but include promoting healthy lifestyle which is the habit and attitude that helps improve people’s health and well-being. 

He said physical fitness keeps you fit, energetic and helps fight diseases, while good nutrition, exercise and rest are bedrock of healthy lifestyle. He further explained that physical fitness is the overall state of health and the ability to carry out physical exercise without much exertion of energy or force.

Corroborating him, Chairman, Board of Trustees, El Marino Sports Club, Mr. Ighomuaye Steve, said ‘to be physically fit, one also needs to be engaged in healthy lifestyle, and this has to do with the type of food a person eats to make the body system function properly.’ He said the club would partake in awareness initiative for youths and would visit chairmen of all the local government councils in Lagos for collaboration on sporting programmes on a regular basis.

Furthermore, the Secretary General of the Club, Mr. Lokun Lawal, explained that the club consists of over 30 members with the least entry age of 28 and an average age of 44 that takes part in daily sporting activities and also organises football matches every two months.

He said being  physically fit is not just about exercise alone but also involves healthy lifestyle, the food a person eats to build up the body and to make it able to withstand sicknesses. According to him, anyone above 40 years of age is exposed to illnesses such as heart failure, high blood sugar, diabetes, and cholesterol, and that these diseases can be reduced through continuous exercise.

‘None of our members have died since the formation of the club, the oldest is over 70 and l have never had malaria for about three years since l became a member of the club, and that is because I do lots of sporting exercises, Lawal stated.

He also added that many Nigerians do jobs that involve sitting down almost all day and after this, physical exercise should come in to avoid being overweight, and not be prone to sicknesses. ‘This is why the club organises table tennis as well as football matches for its members regularly, as this would keep them healthy at all times, he added.

Anazia explained that government can encourage physical fitness among Nigerians by sponsoring sporting events; designing programmes that promote healthy choices; and also by establishing parks where people can carry out regular exercise.