The late Oluwasegun Olanrewaju
MORE THAN two months after the tragic death of Nigerian boxer Gabriel Oluwasegun Olanrewaju in Ghana, tensions have erupted between the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) and the Ministry of Sports and Recreation over the handling of the incident and the subsequent investigations.
Gabriel Oluwasegun Olanrewaju died on March 29, 2025, at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital after collapsing during a boxing match under the promotion of MR Boxing Promotions. The incident marked the first time in Ghana’s boxing history that a foreign boxer has died after a bout on Ghanaian soil.
Speaking in an interview on Guide Sports Xtra with Ben Osei Bonsu (BoB), the GBA’s Communications Director, Mohammed Amin Lamptey, expressed deep concern over the Ministry’s approach to the situation. “This is professional boxing. We’ve never had such an incident before, so it was traumatic and an unfortunate learning curve for us all,” he said.
Mr. Lamptey emphasised that the GBA was not directly responsible for bringing the Nigerian boxer to Ghana. “He was invited by a private promoter—not for the Ghana Boxing League—but we still took responsibility. We did everything we could: we were involved in organising, supervising, and assisting in transporting him to the hospital.”
According to him, the GBA was not consulted when the Ministry of Sports and Recreation set up a committee to investigate Gabriel’s death. “The GBA wasn’t informed, invited, or included in any capacity. Even I, who was the ring announcer that night and a key witness, was not called to testify. That’s deeply disappointing.”
He noted that individuals unrelated to the event were invited to the committee instead. “It is unthinkable. We are an autonomous body like the Ghana Football Association—not a subsidiary of the National Sports Authority. We should have been key partners in such a serious matter.”
Mr. Lamptey also revealed that the GBA had begun the process of repatriating Gabriel’s body to Nigeria, but progress stalled due to lack of financial support and conflicting signals from the Ministry. “It’s expensive.
He confirmed the autopsy revealed Gabriel died from cardiac arrest and said the GBA shared the report with the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control. “We didn’t publish it publicly because we wanted to respect the privacy of the deceased.”
Mr. Lamptey added that while dealing with the fallout from the boxer’s death, the GBA has also been battling internal pressures from election-related factions within Ghana’s boxing community. “Some are using this tragedy to attack and distract the GBA leadership. This is not the time for politics.”
BY Wletsu Ransford