Nigerian traditional boxing is set to get a boost on the global stage with backing from an African private investment firm and a Hollywood producer.
Silverbacks Holdings, a firm domiciled in Mauritius, invested late last year in Nigeria-based sports venture African Warriors Fighting Championship whose major product is Dambe, a centuries-old boxing sport indigenous to the country’s northern region. Sanford R. Climan, a former Universal Studios executive whose work included producing Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator, is joining Silverbacks as an advisory board member and will personally invest in the wrestling outfit, the investment firm said.
The move comes weeks after AWFC announced a partnership with UK-based sports streaming service DAZN to bring Dambe to a global audience.