LONDON — The man behind ambitious plans to promote Anthony Joshua’s first fight in Africa said he has the support of the Nigerian government for the show to take place in early 2026.

Ezekiel Adamu, the CEO of promotional group Balmoral, has partnered with Amir Khan Promotions for the Chaos in the Ring card headlined by Brandon Glanton’s grudge clash with Marcus Browne. The show, which takes place on October 1 in Lagos has been described as "Nigeria’s biggest fight night ever," but Adamu insists it is only the start.

“We've got the population, we've got the infrastructure and we've got the technical know-how,” Adamu tells The Ring.

“We see October 1 as just a little sneak peek. This is really just a showcase of what Nigeria is about and what we can make happen. We have big plans coming.”

Adamu, whose first event was a wedding, has promoted seven boxing shows in the last 12 months but sees this as their first step into the big time, given the alliance with Khan and also the involvement of DAZN, which will broadcast the event.

He meets The Ring at New Peacock Gym in Essex, where a number of the fighters involved October 1, including former British, Commonwealth and European light heavyweight champion Dan Azeez, are training. Azeez, he says, has turned down more lucrative fight offers to box on the show such is his desire to perform in Africa.

And Adamu, an engaging and enthusiastic character, is convinced that a number of world boxing's biggest stars are willing to follow suit due to their connections to Nigeria in particular.

“Of course there is Anthony Joshua,” he says. “But what about Efe Ajagba, Deontay Wilder, Lawrence Okolie and also Moses Itauma whose father is from Nigeria. In fact most of the heavyweight division has Nigerian blood in them.”

Given his commercial stature, it is no surprise that Joshua is Adamu's prime target. The two-time world heavyweight champion was born just north of London in Watford but spent time at school in Nigeria and carries a tattoo of the country’s outline on his right shoulder in homage to his roots. His promoter Eddie Hearn has often suggested the possibility of Joshua returning to Africa to box as a professional, but the idea has so far been an abstract one.

Adamu said that he has not only held talks with Joshua and his team about a potential all-African derby in Nigeria but also confirmed that he hopes to stage the fight at the 50,000-capacity Abuja Stadium in Lagos in the first quarter of next year.

“We are going to get Joshua,” Ezekiel says. “I heard rumours about Joshua fighting in Ghana and I laughed it off because, for me, where is the story in there? Joshua is Nigerian.

“Now we have a big promotion and Nigeria is the biggest market. It's a no-brainer for Joshua to fight in Nigeria. I spoke with him, I spoke with his team and they already said to me, 'If we had an offer from Nigeria it's a match made in heaven.' Joshua has always said that before he ends his career he wants to fight in Nigeria and we are going to make that fight happen in Nigeria. How soon can that happen? Well we are looking at Q1 next year.

“It would likely be Abuja Stadium because it can take about 50,000 people. That's our capital city, that's where all the government people stay in as well so that would probably be it.

“For that it would definitely be two Africans. So we are thinking Joshua against maybe Tony Yoka, there is Martin Bakole and another friend of mine told me that Deontay Wilder wants to do an African fight, too. There are different names involved.”

The burning question, therefore, is where the funding for such an ambitious fight between two heavyweight used to large purses would come from?

“Nigeria is a big market,” Adamu said. “We've got major brands involved in it. For instance, Bet9ja is one of the biggest betting platforms in the world.

“Also the Nigerian government is involved in this as well. That's the key really. The Nigerian government is involved so we've got that backing

“Nigeria has got about 230 million people while Africa has got a population of one billion. Boxing is a global sport and these guys we are talking about have affiliations with different parts of the world so it's a spectacle for the world.

“Nigeria is the biggest economy in the whole of Africa and if you really want to make boxing sustainable then you have to look at the big markets. We've got champions ready to rise, we've got a lot of heavyweights so all we needed was a platform and that's what we're bringing now.”

Adamu also appealed to Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the Saudi Arabia General Entertainment Authority and head of Riyadh Season, to take his revolution in boxing over to Africa.

“You've got the likes of His Excellency Turki Alalshikh who has been supporting boxing globally,” he adds.

“Having his name in Africa, a Riyadh Season event in Africa, and having the heavyweights involved feels like the next step. He's already conquered the world and now, in order to cement his authority, he needs Africa, too.

“The last piece of the jigsaw is Africa, and when you've got Africa you've got a billion strong people behind you. I believe that where you can have the biggest impact is Africa. His Excellency has been talking about it already, he has been pushing Africa Boxing everywhere in the world.

“We want to do boxing completely differently. You've been to Saudi, you've seen boxing in Saudi, you've seen boxing in America and the UK but we've never seen proper boxing in Africa. We want to do boxing in a different way in Africa. We want to infuse culture and infuse our talent into boxing so we can give the world a different kind of entertainment.

“We feel like Nigeria is ready and on October 1 everyone is going to see that we are ready to actually take boxing to the next level.”