Nigerian punching prodigy taking a swing at stardom

Humble origins

"I love boxing. I want to take boxing as my career," Adekoya told Xinhua in an interview, listing Nigeria-born British boxer Anthony Joshua and American pound-for-pound great Floyd Mayweather as his idols.

From Monday to Friday, he trains after school, and during weekends, he works out all day and sometimes takes part in competitions.

Born and raised in the neighborhood of Egbeda, a low-income suburb of Lagos, Adekoya lives with his parents and kid sister in a small rented room in a compound housing 15 other families.

"Sultan has brought fame to our family. A lot of people point at me at the bus stop and say: 'That is Sultan's dad going over there,'" Tosin Adekoya told Xinhua at their tiny residence, where all the kid's medals, certificates and prizes, including the WBC belt, are on display.

Tosin, a 40-year-old auto mechanic, expects a good offer for his son to help the boy's career "100 percent".