Boxing is in mourning following the news that Nigerian fighter Gabriel Oluwasegun Olanrewaju (13-8-2; 12 KOs) sadly passed away after his light heavyweight bout against Jon ‘Power’ Mbanugu (12-1-1; 12 KOs) in Ghana on Friday, March 28. The country’s Olympic Committee and Boxing Authority confirmed the death of the athlete, stating that after receiving first aid, he was taken to Korle-Bu University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead just 30 minutes after his arrival.
The 31-year-old boxer, born in Lagos on December 8, 1993, was known by the nickname ‘Success’. The fight was intense and, with 15 seconds left in the third round, Olanrewaju suddenly collapsed. Seconds earlier he was even smiling in the ring after his opponent’s attacks. There was no resounding blow to knock Olanrewaju out; he simply collapsed suddenly and fell against the ropes.
The referee was the first to rush to the fighter’s aid and the doctor entered the ring at full speed. As far as can be seen in the images, the first thing they did was to check the boxer’s airways. After several minutes, Gabriel was taken to hospital.
Olanrewaju turned professional in July 2019 and won his first three fights. In his fourth fight, he faced Olanrewaju Durodola for the African cruiserweight title. Durodola, a world-class opponent, controlled ‘Success’ at will, who could not come out of his corner for the fifth round. He bounced back strongly to win his next six fights by KO and won the Nigerian light heavyweight championship in late 2021. He later became West African Boxing Union champion in the same division in September 2023. It was his last victory, as in 2024 he went on a four-fight losing streak, although he was only knocked out in one of them.
Rest in peace.
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