Veteran boxer and former world cruiserweight champion Bash Ali is set to return to the ring on November 22 after 21 years out of action, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The 69-year-old will headline the Legendary Ring Return Fight Night at the Shalom Park & Events Centre, Igando, Lagos, in a 12-bout bill promoted by New Era Boxing Promotions.

Ali will face former national and West African middleweight champion, Prince Bob Alagoro, in what promises to be one of the most thrilling boxing nights of the year.

“The Bash Ali and Prince Bob Alagoro matchup will be the icing on the cake of a night boxing fans across Nigeria and beyond have been eagerly looking forward to,” said Brigadier-General Idowu Akinlawon (rtd), CEO of New Era Promotions.

Addressing the pressmen at the venue, General Akinlawon said the night promises to be a great experience for boxing enthusiasts in the area and Lagos in general.

Ali, who last fought professionally in 2004, has promised the fight will not go over one round.

“The fight is not going to go over one round, which is three minutes. If it goes over one round, then I will retire from boxing and never fight again,” the 69-year-old recently told our correspondent.

The event has been sanctioned by the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control, with Secretary General Olu Aboderin reaffirming the board’s support and expressing confidence that the show will further promote professionalism and growth of boxing in Nigeria.

Other top pairings on the bill include a national middleweight challenge contest between Idris Hamza and Lawal Faruk. Opeyemi Ibraheem will take on Akeem Muri in the bantamweight class, while Lucky Oyinbu and Sahid Sodiq will clash in the lightweight challenge.

Ekene Usonu will take on Abdulkadir Sadalah in a middleweight challenge, whilst Frank Essien faces Hussein Abdulwaheed in the super welterweight category. Sodiq Oyakojo takes on Oliwo Kazeem in a featherweight challenge, while Olajubu Ibrahim and Ebuka Peculiar will slug it out in the middleweight category.

Other bouts include Adeshina Alade vs Sodiq Akinwande (super lightweight), Kabiru Ashiru vs Dominic Moses, Abdul-Azeez Sarumi vs Toheeb Kehinde, and a national cruiserweight challenge between Okolie Dozie and Sahidi Akani.

The promoter assured that every boxer would be medically examined and cleared by the medical team before being allowed to enter the ring. Meanwhile, the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, has presented a petition to the National Assembly calling on the house to come to Ali’s aid as he attempts to stage a Guinness World Record fight in the country. (The PUNCH)