Julius OkorieAs Nigerians, especially boxing die-hards continue to mourn the tragic passing of Segun Success Olanrewaju, the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBBofC) has announced the suspension of all boxing activities.
The suspension, according to the board, is a mark of respect for the fallen boxer, whose quest to earn money to settle his rising debt, led to his tragic death in Ghana, on Saturday.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelMeanwhile, the NBBofC and the Ghanaian Boxing Authorities are now at loggerheads over the circumstances surrounding the death of the boxer, with both bodies giving conflicting reports over the incident.
The 40-year-old former National and West African light-heavyweight champion collapsed in the ring during his bout against Ghanaian boxer, Jon Mbanugu, at Fight Night 15 of the Ghana Professional Boxing League, at Bukom Boxing Arena on Saturday. He was later pronounced dead at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. He was leading on points during the said fight before the tragic incident.
Chairman of the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control, Dr. Rafiu Ladipo, expressed outrage over the incident, questioning the medical protocols followed by Ghanaian authorities.
“It was devastating and we in Nigeria have been thrown into mourning. How can a former Nigerian champion go for a fight in Ghana and die in the ring? We are asking the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) to explain the circumstances that led to his death because the fighter was released by the NBBofC to go there and fight on Friday,” Ladipo said
He emphasised the importance of proper medical checks, noting, “The rule of the game is that 24 hours before a fight, you must do your medical and weigh-in, and the weigh-in was done but medical was not done and the medical is the most important aspect.”
However, GBA spokesperson, Amin Lamptey, defended their procedures, claiming that all necessary protocols were followed.
“He was supposed to fight on Friday but the fight couldn’t come up so the promotion connected with Ghana Boxing Authority, requested for him to be on the undercard of the next fight.
His information was already with us as it was for the previous fight, his records, the reports, and his credibility as a former champion, we know his history, and in Ghana, we have to check this thing as an organisation before the fight was approved.
“For a fight in Ghana, we need to make a health report which we also crosscheck with our in-house doctor and before the fight, they have to be checked, and even after the fight, we will also get the urinal, these are the processes in our country, and those processes were undertaken (for Olanrewaju).” said Lamptey.NBBofC Secretary General Remi Aboderin disagreed with the submision of the GBA noting that there was no formal invitation to NBBof C from Ghana.
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“In this case, there was no invitation to the NBBofC from Ghana. The boxer got a contract from the promoter from Ghana, he then came to the board to show us, we read the contract paper, saw the date and we gave him a release permit based on that,” Aboderin said.
“On Monday (March 24), he called me saying that he had a fight and would be coming to the office on Tuesday. He came to my office and I prepared his release letter for Ghana. It is a must for the local commission, in this case, the GBA to provide the medical fee to do medicals on the day of weigh-in and I am made to understand that no medical was done on Thursday, yet they had the weigh-in.”
According to WBF medical guidelines, a pre-contest medical examination should be conducted immediately before the weigh-in, with additional post-contest checks for each fighter.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
