WHEN the Nigerian boxer who died while fighting in Ghana, Gabriel Olanrewaju, slumped and lost consciousness in the boxing ring in March, his 22-year-old wife, Adebusola Olanrewaju‘s life came crashing down.
The Secretary-General of the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control (NBBofC), Remi Aboderin, revealed that they had permitted the 40-year-old boxer to fight a day before his death.
The fight was cancelled after he was adjudged overweight for the round.
Another fight was, however, scheduled for the following day, and Olanrewaju participated in it.
It was during this fight that he lost his life, leaving behind his young wife and two sons.
According to Aboderin, the NBBofC did not grant him approval to participate in the fight, but he did so anyway to settle some debts back home in Nigeria, after being promised 500 dollars.
In an interview with Tthis newspaper, the boxer’s 22-year-old wife said he earned little from boxing, as he only got to compete when matches were available.
“He said his work was seasonal. Whenever he went out to fight and made money, he would buy foodstuffs and everything we needed at home,” she said.
To support his family during periods when he couldn’t secure boxing matches, the late boxer bought a bus and converted it into a commercial vehicle, using the daily earnings to provide for his wife and two sons.
His family reportedly attempted to collect the bus from her, but Adebusola did not confirm this to this newspaper.
Since her husband’s death, the young widow told this newspaper, she has struggled with overwhelming emotional and psychological distress.
Though they were not legally married, the couple had been together since she was 17. Their union produced two sons — one nearing his second birthday and the other not yet a year old.
Adebusola moved in with her parents following Olanrewaju’s death.
Her aged father, who has an eyesight defect, has been the one providing for her and her two sons.
“Life has been very difficult since my husband died. His death was a big pain. My father has been the one taking care of me and my children despite his condition,” Adebusola told The Guardian.
She also told this newspaper that, despite grieving her husband’s death, his family tried to take her children away from her, but they eventually returned them.
Although she lacks the resources to adequately provide for her children, they remain her top priority.
“I know how the children were properly taken care of before the death of their father. They are not getting the care they need now, and I am unable to go out to work,” she said.
“My first son was supposed to begin school before his father passed, but I have to postpone that till some other time. I also have to consider my baby boy. Many employers in Nigeria won’t allow women to bring their children to work.
Two months have passed since Olanrewaju’s passing, but his corpse has not returned to Nigeria for the required traditional burial rites.
She also appealed to the authorities to bring her husband’s corpse to Nigeria.
“Please bring him home so that my mind will be at peace and I can believe he is gone,” she said.
As she awaits the return of her husband’s corpse, Adebusola cradles her two sons, hoping there is light at the end of the tunnel after the knockout that shattered her world.