• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Now Boxing

Latest News and Opinions on Boxing

You are here: Home / News / UFC star Israel Adesanya wants to inspire Nigeria like Pacquiao inspires the Philippines

UFC star Israel Adesanya wants to inspire Nigeria like Pacquiao inspires the Philippines

October 4, 2019 By Erwin Lastimosa Leave a Comment

At UFC 243 Israel Adesanya will take on Robert Whitaker to determine who the real champion of the middleweight division is.

The fight takes place on October 6, 2019 at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia and during fight week media day, Adesanya who was born in Lagos, Nigeria but moved to New Zealand at the age of 13, spoke with reporters about his dream of being able to inspire the Nigerians the way Filipino boxing legend Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao does in the Philippines.

“When I saw (Manny) Pacquiao, the May-Pac fight, I realized the Filipinos they go strong man.” said Adesanya.

“They shut the whole country down when he (Pacquiao) fights. I want to be that guy that when I fight Nigeria shuts down, all the crime rates drop, everything when I’m fighting.”

The ambitious young Nigerian-New Zealander is currently undefeated in his mixed martial arts career with a record of 17 wins and 0 losses. He was originally a kickboxer and dabbled in boxing before heading into mixed martial arts.

He is known as “The Last Stylebender” for his electrifying striking style which blends flash with technical skill.

Adesanya proved a lot of doubters wrong when he defeated hard hitting Mexican-American wrestler Kelvin Gastelum in a rough and tumble fight at UFC 236 to become UFC interim middleweight champion. During the fight he took punishment and never wilted, he also hurt Gastelum badly in a back and forth battle.

UFC champion Nigeria
UFC star Israel Adesanya

He doesn’t have any ambition of following Conor McGregor into the boxing realm because he believes that he can make $100 million fighting in the UFC and doesn’t need to go to boxing to do so.

He will need to put on an impressive performance to become a huge star in the UFC and he will have a tough task ahead of him when he faces Robert Whitaker at UFC 243. If he prevails, especially in dominant fashion he will surely have a hero’s welcome when he visits Nigeria again.

Erwin Lastimosa
Erwin Lastimosa

Erwin Lastimosa is a long time boxing fan and enjoys boxing discussion with his peers. Some of his favorite fighters are Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler, Muhammad Ali, Flash Elorde, Mike Tyson and Manny Pacquiao.

Share This Story:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Filed Under: News

Primary Sidebar

  • About Us
  • Writers
  • Write For Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Top Posts & Pages

  • Livestream: Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford Undisputed Fight Weigh-In
    Livestream: Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford Undisputed Fight Weigh-In
  • Livestream: Canelo vs. Crawford Netflix Fight Week Press Conference
    Livestream: Canelo vs. Crawford Netflix Fight Week Press Conference
  • Live Stream: Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford Free Fights and Open Workout
    Live Stream: Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford Free Fights and Open Workout
  • UFC Champion Ilia Topuria Fires Bold Shots at Boxing Star Terence Crawford: "I'd Put Him to Sleep"
    UFC Champion Ilia Topuria Fires Bold Shots at Boxing Star Terence Crawford: "I'd Put Him to Sleep"
  • Juan Manuel Marquez: Pacquiao is a legend, he should fight Spence or Crawford next
    Juan Manuel Marquez: Pacquiao is a legend, he should fight Spence or Crawford next
  • Qatari Amateur Boxing Star Dana Ali Signs Sponsorship Deal with 3X Sports
    Qatari Amateur Boxing Star Dana Ali Signs Sponsorship Deal with 3X Sports
  • VIDEO: Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 Fight Replay Highlights
    VIDEO: Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 Fight Replay Highlights
  • Canelo Alvarez learned his defense from Mexican legends, not Floyd Mayweather
    Canelo Alvarez learned his defense from Mexican legends, not Floyd Mayweather
  • Roy Jones Jr. selected for induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
    Roy Jones Jr. selected for induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
  • Canelo Alvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol Fight Replay Video Highlights
    Canelo Alvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol Fight Replay Video Highlights

Secondary Sidebar




Archives

Search

Footer

Categories

  • Announcements
  • Featured
  • Interviews
  • News
  • Opinion Articles
  • Pictures and Photos
  • Profiles
  • Submitted Articles
  • Uncategorized
  • Videos
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Copyright © 2025 Nowboxing.com

%d