KANO, Nigeria — Tijjani Zakari stepped into a dusty boxing ring in northern Nigeria and wound thick, threaded cord around his right fist and forearm. For this fighter, the wrap was more battering ram than padded glove.
Zakari squared up to his opponent, squatting low with his bound arm cocked at his side. Less than a minute after the opening whistle, he landed an echoing blow that floored his opponent. A thousand spectators roared. He had won.
This is dambe, a generations-old, West African style of boxing originally practiced by the Hausa people. It is making a comeback in Nigeria.