The late Nigerian boxer, Gabriel Oluwasegun Olanrewaju, who died on Saturday during a bout in Ghana, died fighting for N3 million, The Guardian has learnt.
The 40-year-old Olanrewaju, who died during a fight at the Bukom Boxing Arena on Saturday, was fighting with Ghana’s John Mbagunu, known as “Power,” in an undercard bout of Ghana’s Professional Boxing League when he collapsed and could not be revived.
According to sources at ringside, Olanrewaju suddenly fell to the canvas, prompting the referee to immediately call for medical help. Initially, the timekeeper thought it was a knockdown, but it soon became clear that something was seriously wrong.
Despite urgent efforts by medical staff to revive him, he was later pronounced dead, with reports suggesting he may have suffered a cardiac arrest.
Lamenting the unfortunate incident, the Secretary General of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C), Remi Aboderin, said Olanrewaju was given the licence to fight in Ghana on Friday, but the bout was delayed to Saturday by the organisers.
Aboderin said: “We are waiting for the autopsy to know what exactly happened in Ghana. But we know that the organisers of the fight pleaded with Olanrewaju to fight on Saturday with the promise that he would be paid N3 million to stay.
“He was already on his way back to Nigeria on Saturday morning when the fight didn’t take place on Friday as scheduled before he was persuaded to return and fight on that day. He had complained that he didn’t have money and I believe that made him accept the offer.
“As I said, we are waiting for the autopsy to know what happened before we bring his corpse back to Nigeria. But as a body, the NBB of C will do everything possible to ensure we get to the root of the death,” Aboderin said.
NBB of C President, Dr Raufiu Ladipo, said his body has been in touch with its Ghanaian counterpart to decide the best way to handle the situation, adding that the board will meet tomorrow after which it will brief the press on its findings.
Ladipo said that the sudden demise is intriguing, adding, however, that death can come at any time without notice.
“I am sure the Ghanaian authorities did the right things before the fight. Before the boxers’ weigh in, there must be a medical check by the organisers to ensure they are medically fit to fight.
“If you watched that fight, you will see that he just went down; there was no blow to any part of his body. That is why the autopsy is necessary to decide what happened.
“Like in Nigeria, Monday and Tuesday are public holidays and the hospitals will be on break. So, we will get to know the result of the autopsy on Wednesday and when the corpse will arrive in Nigeria. It is the responsibility of the Ghanaian authorities to conduct the autopsy and brief us on the transportation of his corpse back to Nigeria,” Ladipo said.
Olanrewaju, who was born in Lagos, had 23 professional fights, winning 13, with 12 victories coming by knockout. But according to reports, he had been struggling in recent years, losing four fights in a row before this tragic match.
Late Nigerian boxer died fighting for N3m in Ghana
Olanrewaju
