June 29, (THEWILL) – Following the unfortunate passing of former Nigerian boxer, Jeremiah “Jerry” Okorodudu, a private hospital in Lawanson, Lagos is at the centre of a distressing situation involving an unpaid medical bill.
Okorodudu, aged 64, succumbed on Wednesday night after a prolonged battle with a debilitating foot ulcer that had confined him to his bed for weeks. His wife, Adenike, confirmed the news of his death and revealed that the hospital is refusing to release his body until the outstanding amount of N600,000 is settled.
Secretary-General of the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control and President of the West Africa Boxing Union, Remi Aboderin, expressed his condolences and verified the unfortunate demise of the Olympian. “It is true about his death. I just confirmed it after you contacted me and I reached out to some colleagues,” Aboderin shared. “It is truly regrettable that he passed away under these circumstances, and I am at a loss for words. May his soul rest in peace,” he added.
In the midst of the situation, Azania Omo-Agege, Vice President of the Nigeria Boxing Federation, expressed deep sadness and shared that he had sent N100,000 to Okorodudu’s wife on Tuesday, to assist with the hospital bills. “I recently sent them money—N100,000—and we were planning for his leg amputation on Friday. This is an extremely tragic turn of events,” he lamented.
Okorodudu had an impressive career in both amateur and professional boxing. He won a bronze medal at the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games. However, his journey at the 1984 Olympic Games came to a controversial end when he was narrowly defeated in the quarterfinals by Virgil Hills of the United States. Prior to these exploits, Okorodudu won a gold medal at the Oluyole 79 National Sports Festival. Throughout his career, he participated in a total of 83 amateur fights and 40 professional bouts between 1986 and 1992.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
