THE boxing world is currently mourning the death of Gabriel Segun Olanrewaju, a former West African and national light-heavyweight champion who collapsed during a bout at the Bukom Boxing Arena in Accra on Saturday, March 29.
According to reports, the 40-year-old boxer nicknamed “Success” hit the canvas while taking on Ghanaian boxer Jon Mbanugu on Fight Night 15 of the Ghana Professional Boxing League at the Bukom Boxing Arena, Accra. Olanrewaju, who, according to some report,s undertook the bout because of certain financial commitments, was apparently battling health challenges and should not have been anywhere near the ring: he was not punched and was not near his opponent when he collapsed in round three. He was rushed to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, but was pronounced dead 30 minutes later. Olanrewaju was competing in an eight-round international light-heavyweight contest sanctioned by the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA).
Following the incident, Ghana’s Minister of Sports and Recreation, Honourable Kofi Iddie Adams, expressed deep sorrow over the tragic encounter.
In a statement issued on March 31, Adams extended condolences on behalf of the Ghanaian government to Olanrewaju’s family, friends, and colleagues. He praised the Nigerian boxer’s talent, passion, and courage, describing his death as a significant loss to the boxing community.
He said: “We deeply empathize with the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C), the entire Nigerian boxing fraternity, and the global boxing community over this irreplaceable loss. Gabriel’s untimely departure not only deprives boxing of an admirable competitor but also reminds us of the unpredictable nature of the sport we passionately love.”
Reacting to the incident, the NBB of C accused the GBA of negligence.
Secretary-General of the NBB of C, Remi Aboderin, said the GBA did not adhere to the sport’s rules and regulations before staging the bout. Hear him: “Segun went to Ghana to fight according to the contract, but officials of the GBA did not do due diligence. They did not do the medical examination, and they did not make sure he made the weight for the fight. The date we approved for him to go and fight was Friday, the 28th. How come he fought on the 29th? He died because the rules and regulations of the sport were not adhered to by the GBA. The fight that the NBB of C approved for Segun was on the 28th of March, not the 29th. No medical examinations were performed to ascertain his health. We only had this incident because the rules were not adhered to. When the Friday bout was cancelled due to an overweight issue, Segun was already on his way back to Nigeria. He was already at the border before he was contacted to return, or maybe he had a rethink. He returned. No medical was done. No weigh-in was done. He must have been under a lot of stress.”
Olanrewaju, a fantastic boxer who competed in 24 bouts with 13 wins, eight losses and three draws, is of course not the first Nigerian boxer to die during a match or shortly afterwards. Before him, there was Homicide Ilori, who died during the fourth round of an eight-round lightweight boxing contest against Eddie Philips in Lagos on 26 June 1953; Asimi Mustapha, who on June 14, 1982, got knocked down by his opponent, Irish boxer Barry McGuigan in the sixth round of their bout which took place in London, United Kingdom, fell into a coma after being stretchered out of the ring, got placed on a life support machine but died not long afterwards; and Nojim Gbadegesin, a flyweight boxer who died after suffering a brain injury in the sixth round of his second professional fight on September 28, 1991, a face-off with fellow compatriot, Kelvin Onwudiwe.
The death list also includes Chukwuemeka Igboanugo, an Imo State boxer who suffered a technical knockout in a bout with Prince Gaby Amagor of Anambra State on December 6, 2022 at the National Sports Festival held in Asaba, Delta State, and Sherif Lawal, a London-based boxer who collapsed in the ring during his professional debut on May 12, 2024, knocked down by his Portuguese opponent, Malam Varela, in the fourth round of a middleweight bout at the Harrow Leisure Centre, United Kingdom.
Although well regulated, boxing is of course a tasking, perhaps “brutal” sport that is hardly meant for the weak or ill. Yet in almost all the reported cases of fatality, there seems to have been a common undercurrent of ill health. That is why the boxing authorities must always ensure that the rules are followed very strictly.
In the extant case, there are allegations that the rules were not followed by the GBA, and those allegations need to be examined thoroughly and dispassionately while the authorities take steps to ensure that the sport is as safe as possible going forward.
On the part of athletes, it is a no-brainer that they owe themselves a duty to always conduct medical check-ups and ensure that they are certified medically fit before getting into the ring. They must also ensure that they are in the right mental frame.
Obviously, it is better to abort a scheduled match than to die or get grievously injured in it. This actually applies to all sports: in football, there have been cases where players hid their injuries in order to make the World Cup squad. In the end, they did not help the country or themselves.
As a boxer, Gabriel Segun Olanrewaju gave his all to the game. It is unfortunate that he died in the ring. We urge the authorities to ensure that incidents like the one in Ghana do not recur. May his soul rest in sweet repose.
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