A Bayelsa born former wrestling champion and now Coach of Team Rivers traditional wrestlers, Mr. Dickson Idowu Omoro has revealed the most memorable experience of his wrestling career.
The Lagos based traditional wrestling champion while speaking to Niger Delta Herald in Yenagoa, narrated that his greatest memory was when his closest friend, Selekoewei Oziti, who was also a champion, challenged him to a wrestling bout.
“Oziti was a well-known wrestler in Ijaw nation. We were very good friends. Whenever he had a fight, he normally invited me for his supporting bout. The same was the case whenever I had a fight.
“But to my greatest surprise, one day, he sent a promoter to me that he wanted to challenge me because I won a title.
“He said he was going to fight me and collect the title because I won the title and the cup was with me. My own friend? I said well. So, the promoter now came and collected my picture and also collected his picture. Before I knew it, our posters have gone everywhere in Lagos State.
“This event l am talking about now happened in 1987. It’s an event I will never forget. When the day for the fight came, a great crowd gathered to watch us. After all the supporting bout, they now called the both of us to the stage,” Omoro said.
Continuing, the native wrestler said “during the first round, under three seconds, l picked him up. This is a guy that had been beating great wrestlers, including some wrestlers that had defeated me.
“But I understand his wrestling skills very well. I can read his movements as if I am reading a letter. So, I picked him up and slammed him on the ground. I now held his two hands and he stood up.
“In the second round, do you know what he did? As we bowed down to start the fight, he dipped his hands into my eyes. As he did that, he now dived my two legs and l sat on the floor. I tried to call the attention of the referee but the referee said no! He said the score line remained1-1.
“I now said “okay, since you want to collect my title from me, we die here today.” “So, when the third round started, l gave him the fight of his life. At a point, he began to run round the stage. At that point I realized that my speed was probably too much, so l had to calm down a little bit.
“Before we knew it, the time was over because it is just three minutes. Since I was the defending champion who owns the trophy, they now gave the trophy back to me. So, that fight was the toughest fight in my career of which I cannot forget.”
Omoro recalled that he learned his wrestling skills from his father, Godsline Omoro and grandfather, late Payment Omoro both of whom were great wrestlers in their days.
He recounted that after his career,
he proceeded to the National Institute of Sports (NIS) where he obtained his basic and advanced training in coaching, adding that he had represented Lagos State in coaching for many years on contract basis but lamented that despite his training skills, Bayelsa, his home state, was unable to engage him to groom young wrestlers.
He revealed that he had been working in Rivers state since 2010 as a traditional wrestling coach on contact basis as well.
On his advice to upcoming wrestlers, the Team Rivers Coach charged them to take their training seriously, be focused and patient, adding that money would come in due course.
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