OBITUARY

Swindon FC pay glowing tributes to Titus Okere, last survivor of Nigeria’s 1949 UK Tourists

Published

2 years ago

July 5, 2023

BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

The remains of Titus Okere, the last of the 18 UK Tourists players has been laid to rest at the Bluebell Hill crematorium in Kent, in United Kingdom. According to his granddaughter, Frances Okere, “it was a lovely service. Swindon Town paid tribute to him and sent him a tie.”

Swindon Town FC was the first club that Okere played for when he joined in February 1953 as Nigeria’s first player to sign a professional football contract.

Frances also informed that: “My Nigerian family mentioned my grandad played a friendly against Brazil and there’s some video footage of it.”

Tribute by Swindon Town FC

A customized tie sent to Titus Okere family by Swindon Town FC

The high point of the funeral was the tribute paid by Swindon Town FC. It runs thus:

“Although he only made a few first-team appearances for Swindon Town. he was held in the highest regard by supporters and colleagues of the club alike.

“He had come to the club’s attention when he toured England with the Nigerian international team An outside left, he was nicknamed “the golden boy- because of his ability to create chances out of nothing.

“The credit for signing him for Swindon must go to Mr Louis Page. the manager. He was obviously keen to sign him as in January, two Board Meetings received reports on whether or not he would arrive by January 20th before he managed to get to this country and sign on in February as a twenty-five-year-old.

“It was typical of his sunny personality that he never complained about. not always being given a first-team chance. Swindon had a notoriously heavy pitch and it would have been impossible to wear the light footwear that he had worn playing for the Nigerian national team playing on it.

“One wonders if the light, flexible boots of today had been around. he might have been able to adapt in a way that the high, stiff leather boots worn at the time prevented.

“It is sad to report that a television company had asked for permission to be allowed to film Titus making a demonstration of how to play in bare feet, but the request was refused.

“Evidently, the Board, if not the manager, were adamant about not having a player not wearing conventional footwear.

“Another thing that may have affected his performance was the absence of his wife. He requested but was refused help in enabling his wife to come over to England. The Minute on this matter was to the effect that Titus would have to prove himself on the pitch first.

“One wonders if had the request been granted, he might have felt more wanted and been willing to accept that he could make a home for his family in this country and that it would be worthwhile to have to get used to wearing football boots.

“Despite only being a few months, he was on Swindon’s books: those who saw him in the reserves talk of a very quick and elusive winger who frequently got the better of his full-back but whose centres were not always capitalised on.

“Sadly, it was not enough to convince the directors to retain his services, and he was released on a free transfer on the April retained and released list.

“His appearances in the Swindon reserve team evidently impressed somebody in the Chippenham United camp.

“On leaving Swindon, he was recruited by Chippanharn United, where he made an immediate impact providing a first-minute cross in the opening game of the season that led to a goal. He was also to play in the F.A Cup for Chippenham later in the season.

“At the time of his passing, he was the oldest Swindon player to have played for his country, and although the number of people who saw him play is dwindling, the year of his passing has also seen the launch of a Swindon Town Football Museum, which will ensure his memory as a great

Ambassador for his country and skillful player is kept alive.”

OBITUARY

A burden of debts pushed dead Nigerian boxer, Segun Olanrewaju, to the fatal fight

Published

2 days ago

March 31, 2025

Kunle Solaja

Reports from Nigerian publication, The Punch, have revealed that Nigerian boxer, Segun Olanrewaju who collapsed and died in the ring on Saturday fought in defiance of the decision of the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C).

According to the publication, the Secretary-General, of NBB of C, Remi Aboderin, said that the boxing body permitted Olanrewaju to fight on Friday, but the bout was cancelled.

According to Aboderin, the late pugilist then decided to fight the next day so he could make some money to clear his debts back home.

“Segun got our approval to fight in Ghana, a fight that was proposed to take place on a Friday. Unfortunately, they did weigh in on Thursday and he was found to be overweight and they told him the person he was to fight was not his weight.

“They said to do this, they would increase his purse with another $500, which he said was too small, and due to that, there was no agreement.”

Aboderin further revealed that another Nigerian fought that Friday night.

“Saturday morning, they were on their way back to Lagos, they had even left Accra and were at Aflao border when Segun said to the coach that followed him, Diran Alamu, that it was not going to be easy returning home; he left Nigeria with no money and he had debts to pay and needed money.

So, he wanted to call the Ghanaians and see if another fight was coming up and told them he was now ready to collect the additional $500 as discussed because he felt it would not pay him if he returned home without money.

“So, they called the matchmaker, who informed him that there was a fight on Saturday night and that they could put the fight for that Saturday, but we didn’t give him the approval for that, and this is where the GBA (Ghana Boxing Association) erred. So, he turned back and went back to Ghana because he needed the money; he owed a lot of people money,” the NBB of C secretary added.

Coach Babatunde Ojo, who trained Olanrewaju, told The PUNCH that he advised the boxer against fighting on short notice.

“He (Olanrewaju) told me they gave him a fight last week. After he informed me, I told him, ‘the fight was at short notice, you are not training and you want to go, you can’t go, leave this fight for a better offer,’” Ojo told The PUNCH.

“He initially told me the fight was on April 1, but he called later to say it was no longer next month but on March 29.

“So, I told him that it was at short notice but if he wanted us to go together, he should tell the organisers to book flights so we could go there and come back together. He called them and when he got back to me, he said they told him they would get him a car that would take him to Ghana. I said no, that’s not possible. So, he knew I didn’t want him to go.

“After that, he called me that they (NBBofC) had given him a release letter (for the fight). I didn’t hear from him afterwards, so I called him. He said he had been called again for the fight and was going that night. I told him, ‘Success, don’t you think this fight is too early?’ He said he would call me back. The next time I called him, he said he was on his way (to Ghana), and he didn’t call me because he knew I wouldn’t allow him go. That was why he didn’t tell me. He is an adult, so, I could not stop him.

“Now we have this situation, these are the things I advise my boxers against; you can’t pick a fight at short notice, you need at least one month. I am very saddened by his loss; may his soul rest in peace,” Ojo added.

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OBITUARY

Nigerian Boxer Segun Olanrewaju Dies in Ghana Match

Published

3 days ago

March 30, 2025

Kunle Solaja

A Nigerian boxer, Segun ‘Success’ Olanrewaju, has died in Ghana during a boxing bout on Saturday.

He was a former National and West African light-heavyweight champion. He was competing against Ghanaian boxer Jon Mbanugu at Fight Night 15 of the Ghana Professional Boxing League at Bukom Boxing Arena when he suddenly lost consciousness.

Reports indicate that he was ahead on points before the unfortunate incident occurred.

A widely circulated video on social media captures the moment he collapsed in the ring, further shocking fans and the boxing community.

Olanrewaju, a highly respected figure in Nigerian boxing, held both National and West African light-heavyweight titles during his career.

His contributions to the sport have been widely recognized, with tributes pouring in from colleagues, fans, and sports officials who remember him for his dedication and impact on boxing in Nigeria and across West Africa.

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OBITUARY

BREAKING! Boxing great, George Foreman dies at 76

Published

2 weeks ago

March 22, 2025

Kunle Solaja

Former heavyweight champion George Foreman gestures before the heavyweight title unification boxing match between Ukrainian IBF and WBO titleholder Vladimir Klitschko against British WBA champion David Haye in Hamburg July 2, 2011. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File photo

American George Foreman, one of the great second acts in sports, who reclaimed the heavyweight boxing title at age 45 and became a celebrated product pitchman, died on Friday at age 76.

“With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr. who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025 surrounded by loved ones,” his family said in an Instagram post.

An intimidating, thunderous puncher who lost his first title to Muhammad Ali in their famous “Rumble in the Jungle” in 1974, “Big George” was a more rotund, jovial figure when he knocked out Michael Moorer for his second crown two decades later.

Muhammad Ali watches as the defending world champion George Foreman goes down in the eighth round of their fight in Kinshasa, Zaire, on 30 October, 1974. Photograph: AP

Foreman’s comeback and the fortune he made selling fat-wicking electric cooking grills made him an icon of self-improvement and success for the Baby Boom generation.

Born in Marshall, Texas, on Jan. 10, 1949, Foreman’s family soon moved to Houston where he and his six siblings were raised by a single mother. Growing up poor in the segregated American South, Foreman dropped out of junior high school and used his size and fists in street robberies.

“George’s journey from the streets of Fifth Ward to boxing and business success was an inspiration,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire said in a statement.

“He never forgot where he came from … Houston will forever be proud to call George Foreman one of our own.”

The Job Corps, part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Great Society” reforms, “rescued me from the gutter,” Foreman later wrote. Through the program, 16-year-old Foreman moved out of Texas and was encouraged to channel his rage and growing bulk into boxing.

At age 19 and in his 25th amateur fight, Foreman captured the heavyweight boxing gold medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Turning pro, he won 37 straight matches on his way to face reigning champion Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica, winning by technical knockout in round two.

Foreman defended the belt twice more before meeting Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in one of the most celebrated boxing matches in history.

Ali had been stripped of his crown seven years prior for refusing to be drafted into the Vietnam War and came into the match a heavy underdog against the bigger, younger champion. But for seven rounds, Ali laid against the ropes and fended off Foreman’s clubbing blows, tiring him before knocking him out in the eighth round.

“I was one strong heavyweight punching fighter,” Foreman told Reuters in 2007. “I was one punching machine and that was the first time I delivered everything I had and nothing worked.”

The loss devastated Foreman. He took a year off before returning to the ring and then, after a second professional loss, retired in 1977 to become an ordained minister in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

A decade later and considerably heavier at 315 pounds (143 kg), Foreman staged an unlikely return to the ring to raise money for a youth center he founded in Texas.

He went on to win 24 straight matches, gradually slimming along the way, before losing to Evander Holyfield in a 12-round decision in 1991. Three years later, he knocked out undefeated southpaw Moorer to become the oldest ever heavyweight champion at age 45.

Foreman’s last match was in 1997, ending his career with a professional record of 76 wins and five losses.

Foreman was married four times in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1985, he married for the fifth time to Mary Joan Martelly, with whom he remained for the rest of his life. He had five sons – all called George – five biological daughters, and two adopted daughters.

Throughout the 1990s and after retirement, he was an enthusiastic pitchman for various products, most notably an electric grill from home appliance maker Salton Inc. In 1999, the company paid Foreman and his partners $137.5 million to put his name on the grill and other goods.

“What I do is fall in love with every product I sell,” Foreman wrote in his autobiography, “By George.”

“That’s what sells. Just like with preaching.”

-Reuters

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