Former Nigerian lightweight champion Gabriel Oluwasegun Olanrewaju died after becoming defenseless during a Saturday night boxing match in Ghana.
The 31-year-old fighter reportedly “dominated” his match against hard-hitting Jon Mbangu before losing focus less than halfway through their scheduled eight-round bout.
“[Olanrewaju] stepped back during the fight and leaned on the ropes without any punch whatsoever from his opponent Jon Mbangu,” according to the Ghana Boxing Authority.
Ring Magazine reported Mbangu threw a punch that didn’t seem to cause any harm before Olanrewaju lost his footing and landed on the bottom rope.
Noticing something wasn’t right, the referee called for medics to enter the ring immediately.
Paramedics reportedly attempted to resuscitate Olanrewaju before rushing him to an area hospital where authorities said he was pronounced dead 30 minutes after arrival.
Ghana boxing officials said Olanrewaju, who had 23 wins and eight losses, had been medically cleared to fight Mbangu. Mbangu has won 12 professional fights — all by knockout. He’s been defeated once.
The Ghana Boxing Authority said Olanrewaju appeared to have been felled by an “induced coma,” but is awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine his cause of death.
Olanrewaju once held championship belts as a Nigerian and West African champion, according to the BBC.
Nigeria Boxing Board of Control General Secretary Remi Aboderin remembered the pugilist as a fearless “ring warrior.”