The Nigeria Boxing Board of Control, NBBofC, has blamed its Ghanaian counterpart of causing the death of Segun ‘Success’ Olanrewaju,
The Ngerian boxer, formerly National and West African light-heavyweight champion, collapsed and lost consciousness in the ring while fighting Ghanaian boxer Jon Mbanugu on Saturday in Ghana.
Late Olanrewaju who was leading his opponent on point before he suddenly took ill was later pronounced dead at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital where he was rushed to.
To NBBofC, the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) caused the death of the 40-year-old.
It alleged the Ghanaian authorities of not subjecting the late boxer to mandatory medical checks before the fight.
“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,” NBBofC Secretary General Remi Aboderin told Punchng.
“Even me and the boxer that went for the fight, no medical was done before our fight. I even asked them, ‘Where are the medical personnel for the fight’. It is only a weigh-in and then, they fight,” a Nigerian, Coach Okon-Akpan who accompanied another Nigerian boxer to Ghana, corroborated Aboderin in an interview with the same publication.
