Adijat Gbadamosi: Nigeria’s Ascendant Force in Women’s Boxing
On December 31, 2001, in Nigeria, Adijat Gbadamosi was born into a world where boxing was far from mainstream. Two decades later, her journey has become central to the emerging narrative of African women in professional boxing; a sport long dominated by other regions but now shaped in part by fighters carving global dreams from homegrown belts and international medals.
What connects the early days to her current accolades is a blend of resilience and continuity: Gbadamosi’s earliest recorded highlight came as an amateur, and it set a tone that would define her career. At just 16, she represented Nigeria in the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires. Competing in the girls’ flyweight division, she advanced to the gold medal bout before falling to Italy’s Martina La Piana, earning a silver medal on the Olympic stage.
In the same year, Gbadamosi captured a gold medal at the African Youth Boxing Championships in Morocco, further establishing her as one of the continent’s most decorated young pugilists.
Turning Professional and Making History
Gbadamosi’s transition to professional boxing came in 2022, when she debuted at the King of the Ring tournament against Taiye Kodjo. That step marked a clear pivot from amateur accolades to the challenges of the paid ranks.
Less than a year later, Gbadamosi etched her name into Nigerian boxing history. On June 16, 2023, she faced Zimbabwe’s Patience Mastara in Accra, Ghana, in a scheduled 10-round bout for the Africa Super Bantamweight female title under the auspices of the African Boxing Union (ABU), an affiliate of the World Boxing Council that manages continental titles. In the fifth round, she scored a technical knockout, capturing the vacant title and becoming the first Nigerian female boxer to win an African boxing championship belt.
The bout, held as part of the “King of the Ring 3” card at Bukom Boxing Arena, was a defining moment not only for Gbadamosi’s career but for women’s boxing in Nigeria, signaling a broader shift in opportunity and recognition for female fighters.
Inside the Ring and Beyond
Gbadamosi’s professional trajectory portrays a fighter as methodical as she is ambitious. He current record is 9-0, with 6 KOs.
Beyond the ring, Gbadamosi’s story includes narratives familiar to many African athletes; the balancing of early passion, family support, and the pursuit of broader recognition. In interviews around her ABU title win, she spoke openly about boxing as a lifelong ambition, training since childhood with the encouragement of her family and her internal drive to make her country proud.
Looking Ahead
By capturing the ABU Super Bantamweight title, Gbadamosi didn’t just make history, she broadened the framework of what is possible for female boxers from Nigeria and wider Africa. She has indicated that she is aiming for world title contention, specifically naming the WBC world championship as a target in the years ahead.
She is a fighter who sets her sights on the pinnacles of women’s boxing. Her progress and goals illustrate a blend of measured growth and historical awareness, as she looks beyond regional success to truly global stakes.
A Portrait in Progress
Adijat Gbadamosi’s narrative, from Youth Olympic silver medalist to the first Nigerian woman to win an African professional title, is rooted in documented achievement and forward momentum..
Her story is not yet complete, and that in itself is part of her appeal: a young athlete, already working within history, crafting the next chapters with clear focus and verified credentials.
Wishing Adijat a very happy birthday from all of us at The Prizefighters.