Nigerian youngsters learning boxing on the streets of Lagos

On a busy street in the Nigerian city of Lagos, the sound of gloves hitting punch bags mixes with the noise of passing cars.

Youngsters are taking part in boxing sessions led by local coaches determined to nurture young talent.

For over a decade, former boxer Yusuf Eleyele has been teaching them not only the sport, but also discipline and resilience.

He says he started coaching them because he realised that many of the children were homeless or drifting toward the streets and getting into trouble.

“Some were defiant and rebellious, and some ended up as touts or area boys, fighting and engaging in questionable conduct,” he says.

He says that when the thought about it, he realised that if they were busy and training boxing, it would “be useful to them in the future”.

“I told myself that since I have the knowledge of boxing, it will help a lot of these kids, and the parents will benefit from all of these.”

For many of the young athletes, the sessions offer more than just physical training.

The roadside sessions provide the young boxers an opportunity to hone their talents, establish self-discipline, and pursue goals beyond the streets where they started.

“Sometimes while training, passersby look at us as if we were jobless. But what we are doing here, we have a lot of champions here ... all of the training and building of these kids is being done on this street,” says Eleyele.

His daughter, Fatiya, trains with her father in the road too. He says in 2025, she won boxing gold for Nigeria’s national youth games while representing Niger State.

"Boxing has helped me to build self-confidence and to remove myself away from danger when harm is coming close to me. So as an amateur boxer, I have won over 10 medals,”  says Fatiya.

But resources are limited.

Boxing promoter, Folashade Lawal, who is training to become a coach says a lack of funding, equipment, and facilities is holding the young athletes back.

“Getting a coach and training them is a big challenge for me. It is actually a big challenge because I was not a boxer, I was not a coach, … I was just like them,” she says.

“I like the fact that the children are serious and they are doing it well. So, I try to promote them.”

  While the grassroots scene still runs on almost nothing, Lagos has produced boxers who’ve gone on to compete nationally and internationally.

Here at the informal boxing clubs on the streets of Lagos, youngsters hope their makeshift training grounds will take them there one day too.