By Daily Sports Nigeria on October 28, 2023

Nigerian singer, Friday Igwe, popularly known as Baba Fryo, who rose to limelight in the 90s, in this interview with PETER AKINBO, talks about his love for boxing, the Super Eagles and more

Was music your first love?

Yes, it was. I have always loved music and since I was young, I knew it was what I was going to do, I just was not yet sure how.

How did it start?

Well, it started when I was very small and in boarding school, I used to entertain my friends every Friday. I would keep that Friday for myself and my friends so I could entertain them, and from there, I decided to go into it fully. Then, as time went on, I began to develop a serious interest, and so, one of my friends Murphy was the one who really motivated me during that time I started. He recorded about two tracks and when he played them for me, I was amazed. That encouraged me to begin to move on but funny enough, I got into the limelight before him.

Were you involved in sports while you were younger?

Yes, I did. I was into running and I was quite good at it, I was able to run very well and up until I started working fully on music before I stopped running. I even won some competitions when I was in school both at Christ the King School and at Creek High School. I was a very good sprinter, I think I did okay.

Did you at any point think of pursuing a career in sports?

No, I preferred music, I always wanted music. Sports was for school time and once I was done with that, I focused on music.

Which sport do you enjoy most?

Well, I like wrestling, boxing and athletics. I get bored when I watch other sports but I get entertained when I watch combat sports.

Who are your favourite boxers?

I don’t have a favourite boxer among the current fighters. Honestly, I will have to go way back to pick my favourites, and for me, that will be Iron Mike Tyson and Muhammed Ali.

Why did you pick Ali and Tyson ahead of other great boxers?

It is simply because they were great, they made boxing interesting to watch, and more popular and they made the sport great, they entertained.

Who do you think is the greatest boxer of all time?

I would say Muhammed Ali is the greatest boxer of all time because Ali flies like a butterfly and stings like a bee, the guy had mad skills, very great skills.

Would you support your kids if they showed interest in combat sports?

To me, whatever choice they make, as long as they are mature, I will allow it. I knew what I wanted to do and I pursued it seriously, so, I have no reason to limit my children if they want to do anything.

Do you think that Nigeria is investing enough in boxing and other sports?

Nigeria is not investing in anything concerning sports. The government is not investing in sports at all, they are not encouraging sports, and they are not even encouraging entertainment in general as it is now.

What do you think can be done to make it better?

For me, I think we have always been talking, we keep talking and talking, and now the politicians are not even listening to us, because they now believe they are bigger than the masses. They do whatever they want to do, whatever they like is how we take it. So, we must keep talking until we talk into the right ears.

What do you think of Anthony Joshua?

I think he is impressive, I think he has built a good record, but I still want to see a lot more from him, and let him continue to work to show that he can be among the greatest ever. Yes, he has won the world titles twice, but let us still keep our fingers crossed and see if he can do more if he can claim the title for a third time and hopefully retain it this time.

Do you watch the Super Eagles?

Yes, I do. I am not really a fan of football, I am not interested in football but I am interested in Nigeria. So, when the Super Eagles are playing, that is when I watch. I am not a football fan but I am an Eagles supporter.

Do you think the Eagles can win the AFCON again and compete among the best at the World Cup?

To me, it depends on a lot of things, especially if they don’t play politics in camp. If they play for the team, that’s when I can say that they will win it. In camp, football teams play politics, just the way the government plays politics. But if they don’t play politics, if they make everything real, I think we can get there. If we also have the right coach and the right people on that team, we can get there.

Who would you say is the greatest Nigerian player of all time?

I think the greatest Nigerian player would be the only guy who died for us on the pitch, Samuel Okwaraji. I mean if Christians can say Jesus died for them, so, he is the saviour, then we should also consider that since Okwaraji died for us too, he is the greatest. That should be undoubted and guaranteed.

You mentioned your favourite boxers in the world, are there any Nigerians on your list?

I like Bash Ali, Hogan Bassey, Samuel Peter, Dick Tiger, and Jeremiah Okorodudu, but I think I prefer Hogan Bassey the most among all these guys.

If you could have lunch with any sportsperson, who would it be?

I like Jay Jay Okocha, I would like to hang out with him and just talk about one or two things, especially about his time in Germany. He is one of the greatest Nigerian players ever and it would be a pleasure to spend that time with one of the best to ever kick the ball.

Source Punch Ng

Posted October 28, 2023

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