The Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) have officially confirmed the death of Nigerian boxer Gabriel Oluwasegun Olanrewaju who tragically passed away after collapsing during a bout at the Bukom Boxing Arena in Accra on Saturday night.
Olanrewaju was facing Accra-born John Mbanugu, also known as Power, in an undercardon fight of Ghana’s Professional Boxing League when the unfortunate incident occurred.
Midway through the fight, Olanrewaju suddenly collapsed in the ring, prompting the referee to call for immediate medical assistance. Despite urgent efforts to revive him, the 40-year-old boxer remained unresponsive and was rushed to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
An official statement confirming his passing has been released by the GBA, sending shockwaves through Ghana’s boxing community.
Reports suggest he may have suffered cardiac arrest.
A viral video of the fight shows both boxers trading punches intensely before Olanrewaju stumbled and collapsed, with just 15 seconds left in the third round of the scheduled eight-round bout. Initially, the bellman and timekeeper treated it as a knockdown, but the seriousness of the situation quickly became clear. Medical professionals rushed to his aid, but their efforts to revive him proved unsuccessful, leading to his emergency transfer to the hospital.
Olanrewaju’s last recorded fight was on December 24, 2024, against Idowu Raheed at the Campos Mini Stadium in Lagos.
