Boxer’s Death: Referee wants NBB of C, stakeholders, to stop boxers from accepting fights on short notice

Following Nigerian boxer, Gabriel Olusegun Olanrewaju’s demise in Ghana during a fight at the weekend, international ring official and boxing matchmaker, Olusegun Ayodele Adesanya, has urged the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C) and other stakeholders ban boxers from accepting fights on short notice.

Olanrewaju, also known as “Segun Success,” slumped and died during a fight in Accra, Ghana, on Saturday, prompting questions on the state of his health before the ill-fated bout.

Speaking while delivering a condolence message to the NBB of C and the late boxer’s family, Adesanya said that he has been advocating for the certification of boxers’ fitness through life insurance policy examination and other crucial medical testing, including MRIs, ECGs, CT scans, and hepatitis B.

“Boxers should have routine medical checkups to know their status, especially for life-threatening diseases like hepatitis B. I brought the idea of having the professional boxers screened for hepatitis B and vaccinated if they are negative, but if tested positive, they should commence hepatitis B treatment,” Adesanya noted.

He added: “Do you know that we have professional boxers who are hepatitis B positive still actively fighting, even internationally. There must be regular seminars for boxers because they are ignorant of the rules inside and outside the ring. That is why they go for everything they see due to lack of knowledge.

“Ensuring the safety of boxers before they enter the ring is crucial to prevent injuries and such calamity as we witnessed in this Segun case. May his soul rest in peace, and may the family be granted the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”