Reactions continue to pour in following the tragic death of former Nigerian and West African light heavyweight boxing champion, Segun ‘Success’ Olarewaju, who died last weekend during a bout in Ghana.
Among the most vocal is former British and Commonwealth light heavyweight champion, Peter Oboh, who described the incident as “avoidable” and a result of systemic negligence and poverty.
Oboh, who enjoyed a successful boxing career in the United Kingdom and has since become a pastor, expressed his shock over the incident, lamenting that such fatalities still occur in an era of advanced medical science and safety regulations in sports.
“In the UK, boxers undergo annual comprehensive medical checkups,” Oboh said. “These tests include blood work, brain scans, weight management, breathing, vision, and hearing assessments. If any of these tests are failed, the boxer’s license is withdrawn immediately. That’s the kind of system we need the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control to implement.”
Olarewaju collapsed in the ring during the fight and was pronounced dead shortly afterwards, sparking concerns over the level of medical scrutiny in professional boxing events, especially in parts of Africa where safety protocols are often overlooked or under-enforced.
Oboh emphasized that boxers must not only be medically fit but also adequately prepared before accepting a match, particularly in high-risk weight classes like light heavyweight.
“In the light heavy, you’re just a step away from cruiserweight and heavyweight,” he explained. “If you take a fight you weren’t scheduled for, you may have to either drop weight rapidly or use substances to adjust. Both are extremely dangerous.”
He warned that fighting under such conditions could lead to exhaustion, which might have been a contributing factor in Olarewaju’s sudden collapse. “When your body can’t get enough oxygen due to overexertion, you can die of exhaustion right in the ring.”
The former champion also criticised the lack of thorough pre-fight medical checks in many African boxing events. “Often, all that’s done before a fight is checking your eyes, your weight, your knuckles, and asking a few questions. That’s nowhere near enough. Periodic, detailed medical exams must become standard if we want to prevent tragedies like this.”
Oboh concluded by pointing to the root of the problem: financial desperation. “When a boxer is broke, he’ll take any fight just to survive. There’s no time to prepare or condition properly. Until Nigerian boxers are financially stable enough to choose their fights wisely, we will continue to see such heartbreaking outcomes.”
As the boxing community mourns the loss of Segun Olarewaju, calls for reform in athlete health and safety oversight are growing louder. For now, Segun’s death serves as a grim reminder of the urgent need to prioritize fighter welfare both in and out of the ring.
