The Alaafin of Oyo Oba Lamidi Adeyemi has never hidden his love for boxing, a sport he was involved in as a young man as a pugilist.
The 80-year-old monarch has however revealed that his love for the game was borne out of his mind which is usually not filled with happiness.
“I am also a good boxer. I have had over 56 bouts and lost two. In my bouts, only 10 (people) who contested with me lasted the distance. I won the others by knockout but I have never been knocked out. Let me tell you a little secret. Inwardly, I am not a very happy person; so, boxing is an interesting outlet for me. When you have a grudge, you don’t feel pain,” he told Punch.
The octogenarian told the paper of how he met his wives saying: “I did not propose to any of my wives. They desired to be with me because I sent them to school. After their university education, I told them to leave but they refused and insisted on staying with me here in the palace as my wives.”
