More On Tragic Death Of Nigerian Boxer Gabriel Oluwasegun Olanrewanju In Ghana

Boxer Gabriel Oluwasegun Olanrewanju passed away after collapsing during his most recent fight. Olanrewanju had left Nigeria for Ghana, as the West African nation is a regional hub for the sport of boxing,

Olanrewanju suffered a knockdown toward the end of the third round of a scheduled eight-round match. The fight was part of Ghana's Professional Boxing League, and before the knockdown, Olanrewanju had been involved in furious exchanges with his opponents. It took ringside officials and others a few moments to realize that the Lagos-born fighter was not alright.

"[His death] is shocking," said professional boxer Oluwaseun Joshua Wahab,"All I can say is I find it strange how this incident happened." Wahab knew Olanrewanju personally. Like the deceased fighter, Wahab is a native of Nigeria who has made Ghana his home for professional boxing.

A Nigerian boxer sadly passed away during a boxing match against a Ghanaian opponent at the Bukom Boxing Arena last night. Rest in peace 💔🙏

pic.twitter.com/ST9AQwNrJU
— Dr Sneaker Nyame (@SneakerNyame_) March 30, 2025

He achieved 13 wins, 12 of them by knockout, and suffered eight defeats and two draws. His fight against Jon Mbangu (13-1-1) was his first ever in Ghana. The fighter had fought most of his career in Nigeria. Prior to his tragic fight in Accra, he had lost four straight fights after earning his one and only draw.

According to a media statement from Remi Aboderin, the Secretary General of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control, the bout wasn't supposed to originally take place.

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The 40-year-old Olanrewanju had traveled to Ghana for another fight, but took this one on short notice after the first fight fell through. Though the exact details remain unclear, the final lines of Aboderin's statement offer an explanation for the fatal fight (the comments were published in NPFLUpdates).

“He turned back and went back to Ghana because he needed the money; he owed a lot of people money.”"

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