The Interim President of the Nigeria Boxing Federation, Azania Omo-Agege, has called for urgent reforms in Nigerian boxing following the tragic collapse and death of Segun ‘Success’ Olanrewaju, who died in Accra, Ghana last Saturday.
The 40-year-old former National and West African light-heavyweight champion lost consciousness during his bout against Ghanaian boxer Jon Mbanugu at Fight Night 15 of the Ghana Professional Boxing League at Bukom Boxing Arena, Accra on Saturday.
Olanrewaju was leading on points before the tragic incident occurred in the scheduled eight-round light-heavyweight contest against Mbanugu, also known as “Jon Power,” who holds a record of 12 wins, one loss, and one draw, with 12 knockouts.
It took only a few seconds for officials and fans at the Bukom Boxing Arena to realise that something was seriously wrong. Olanrewaju had landed two weak punches on his opponent before Mbanugu responded with a right hand to the Nigerian’s face.
After a brief impasse between both men, the Nigerian boxer staggered backwards, fell against the ropes and collapsed, to the disbelief of the fans.
Reacting to Olanrewaju’s death, Omo-Agege expressed concerns over medical fitness and safety protocols in the sport, adding that the incident was likely due to a heart
attack rather than an in-ring injury.
“It’s very unfortunate that this event occurred. Poor boy. Going through the video, he actually didn’t take a punch before he collapsed. This suggests it was a cardio-related issue, likely a heart attack,” Omo-Agege told Sportinglife.
“So I don’t know how medically fit he was when he got in the ring, but that definitely has to be looked into.
He also faulted the immediate medical response, stating that Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) should have been performed instead of checking the boxer’s mouth unnecessarily.
“And also what the doctor had to do was to perform a CPR immediately, not trying to check his mouth, nobody punched him. So that wasn’t a proper way to actually look at it anyway. that being said, it’s sad that this incident happened and we have to look for ways to prevent things like this.
Beyond this recent tragedy, Omo-Agege highlighted past cases of negligence in Nigerian boxing.
He referenced an incident where a pregnant female boxer was cleared to compete internationally despite medical warnings, as well as a case in Delta State where a hypertensive boxer was allowed to fight and later died.
According to him, both incidents were ignored by the authorities.
“Reports were swept under the carpet,”Omo-Agege said.
“The ministry did nothing. Gross negligence has been a recurring problem,” he lamented, calling for accountability in the sport.
Additionally, Omo-Agege warned against Nigeria’s forced alignment with World Boxing through the International Olympic Committee and National Olympic Committee.
He raised concerns over fairness in competition, particularly citing an Algerian transgender boxer who could potentially face Nigerian female boxers.
“Are we sending our girls to commit suicide to fight a man? This is a disaster waiting to happen,” he warned, urging immediate government intervention to withdraw Nigeria from World Boxing.
He further stressed the need for improved medical fitness checks and insurance coverage for Nigerian boxers, advocating for reforms that prioritise athletes’ well-being over competition goals.
“Medical fitness is key to boxing. We must protect the sport and the athletes,” he concluded.
The matter has reportedly been brought before the Nigerian Senate, with calls for a committee to investigate and implement necessary changes to improve boxer welfare and safety.
