Gabriel Oluwasegun in red shorts fought against John Mbanugu in a white shorts
The Secretary-General of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control, Oluremi Aboderin, has disclosed that event organisers bribed the late boxer, Gabriel Oluwasegun Olanrewaju, to lose his bout to his Ghanaian opponent, John Mbanugu.
According to him, some officials from the event organisers approached Oluwasegun to offer him a sum of money to lose to his Ghanaian opponent, which surprised him because it was not part of the earlier agreement.
However, after discussions, he said the deceased boxer and his trainer decided to accept the offer but demanded more funds before the fight, which the said officials were initially reluctant to provide.
“I was made to understand that an issue arose at the weigh-in, where Segun was told that he had been brought from Nigeria to lose to the Ghanaian boxer. Segun said, ‘No, we never had this agreement before I left Nigeria.’
“But if you want me to lose, that means you must add to my boss an extra amount that must be paid.’ They went back and forth until Friday. Segun said the additional money might be around $500, but what they were offering was too small,” he said, as reported by Joy Sports.
Aboderin further disclosed that the boxing event organisers eventually agreed to pay the money, but the timing of the fight was wrong.
“Eventually, Segun decided he would not fight, and they decided to leave. On their way back to Nigeria, they received a call informing them that the organisers were now willing to pay the extra amount he had requested.
“They were also told that there was another fight scheduled in Ghana on Saturday night, and that their fight would be added. Segun and the trainer returned, and that is where the GBA erred. They should not have allowed him to fight on Saturday because the rules state that a boxer must weigh in on Thursday and fight the following day, not two days later,” he indicated.
Gabriel Oluwasegun collapsed during a bout against Ghana’s John Mbanugu on Saturday, March 29, 2025, at the Bukom Boxing Arena and was later pronounced dead at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
Read Aboderin’s narration of the bribery incident below:
🇳🇬 Oluremi Aboderin, Secretary-General of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control, details how the GBA 🇬🇭 “erred” in the death of Nigerian boxer Segun Olanrewaju.#JoySports THREAD 🧵 pic.twitter.com/vBkHQwjx8J
— #JoySports (@JoySportsGH) March 31, 2025
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