Commonwealth Games boxing medallist, Jerry Okorodudu dies at 64

Nigeria’s former middleweight boxing champion, Jerry Okorodudu is dead.

Okorodudu, 64, died in a Lagos hospital on Wednesday after a protracted sickness.

According to reports, the boxer, popularly known as ‘Urhobo Lips’ in his active days, was awaiting amputation of one of his legs when he gave up the ghost.

Some officials of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C), confirmed the death to The Guardian.

An official of the boxing body, Laguda, told The Guardian that Okorodudu died yesterday evening after a protracted ailment at a Lagos hospital.

His daughter also confirmed his death while speaking to Brila FM.

“He was sick, he had diabetes and that was what led to the stroke.

“He’s no longer in the hospital, he has been taken to the morgue already…We’re holding up, “Emily, daughter of Jerry Okorodudu told Brila FM.

His wife Adenike, while also confirming the death to The PUNCH, said the family needed N600,000 to claim his corpse.

“He is dead now but we still need to pay N600,000 to get his body out of the hospital,” Adenike told The PUNCH.

Okorodudu, a bronze medalist at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia, was controversially edged out at the quarterfinals of the 1984 Olympic Games by Virgil Hills of the United States.

Before then, he had won a gold medal at the National Sports Festival, Oluyole ’79. He had 83 amateur fights and 40 professional bouts between 1986 and 1992.