Prize Money Late Nigerian Boxer Gabriel Olanrewaju Was Chasing Before His Death in Ghana

• Nigerian boxer Gabriel Olarewaju sadly passed away in Ghana after collapsing during a boxing fight
• The autopsy report to confirm the cause of his death has yet to be released, but another detail has emerged
• The prize money he was set to earn from the unfortunate fight has surfaced, raising questions about it

The prize money Nigerian boxer Gabriel Oluwasegun Olanrewaju was set to earn from the fight where he lost his life in Ghana has emerged, raising concerns over the fight.

Olanrewaju was competing against Ghanaian boxer John Mbanugu when he collapsed in the third round and was rushed to Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, where he was confirmed dead.

As noted by GBC Online, the death of the 40-year-old has thrown the Nigerian and Ghanaian boxing world into mourning and raised concerns over the health of the professionals.

Olanrewaju was reportedly medically cleared to compete by the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBBofC), but, unfortunately, did not make it out of the ring alive.

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The body claimed that he was not granted an approval for the fight on Saturday, after his initial fight on Friday was cancelled on the account that he was overweight.

He quickly scheduled another fight a day later, during which he met his death and sent the countries into mourning.

Prize money Gabriel Olanrewaju could have won

Further controversies have surfaced over the death of the Nigerian boxer in Ghana after reports emerged on how much he was set to earn from the fight that led to his demise.

According to Punch NG, Olanrewaju was set to earn $500 (approximately ₦770,000) after negotiations with the organisers of the fight.

NBBofC secretary general Remi Aboderin told Punch NG that the boxer fought because of money as he was looking to clear his debts back home despite not being cleared for the match.

“Segun got our approval to fight in Ghana, a fight that was proposed to take place on a Friday. Unfortunately, they did a weigh-in on Thursday, and he was found to be overweight, and they told him the person he was to fight was not his weight,” he said.

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“They said to do this, they would increase his purse with another $500, which he said was too small, and due to that, there was no agreement.”

Aboderin further noted that he was already on his way home after the first fight was cancelled, but he turned back as he was trying to raise money to pay his debts.

The coach who trained him, Babatunde Ojo, claimed he warned the former National and West African light-heavyweight champion that he had not trained enough to fight on short notice.

Tributes pour in for Olanrewaju

Legit.ng reported that Nigerians paid tribute to Olanrewaju after the former boxing champion collapsed and died during a fight in Ghana on Saturday.

The boxing world in both countries mourned the late boxer, who was reportedly not cleared to partake in the fight after his first fight was cancelled.

Source: Legit.ng