Sherif Lawal, a middleweight trained at St Pancras BC, passed away Friday night (May 12) after making his debut at Harrow Leisure Centre.
29-year-old Sherif Lawal faced Malam Varela in the first fight of a four-fight show that Costakis Evangelou was promoting. The match was set for six rounds. Sherif Lawal fell to the canvas when Varela’s right hand struck his temple during the fourth round. Referee Lee Every started counting but stopped the fight as soon as he realised Sherif Lawal was hurt.
The fight had been fairly matched until the end of the third round, when Lawal was surprised by “a right hand over the jab that landed seconds before the bell sounded,” according to a BoxingScene insider at ringside.
Lee Every, the referee, separated them after they traded blows on the bell. At the start of the fourth, Sherif Lawal emerged wearing a high guard and appeared fine. He turned to face the ropes, put his right palm to his temple, spun around, and collapsed onto his haunches.
Sherif Lawal’s trainer, CJ Hussein, attended to his injured opponent as ringside physicians and paramedics from the British Boxing Board of Control performed CPR on him for “ten to fifteen minutes.” A defibrillator was then used in the ring for a few minutes. After being brought to the neighbouring Northwick Park hospital, Sherif Lawal was declared dead, with a heart arrest listed as the cause of death.
I cancelled the remaining balance on the card. It’s a tragic incident and we’re all in shock, stated Robert Smith, General Secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control, to BoxingScene. We are currently compiling all of the reports from the medical professionals, paramedics, and officials in an effort to determine the precise events that transpired Boxing
His GP report indicates he was in good health, and his boxing medicals were all in order. This is a terrible, tragic event. Before going professional earlier this year, Sherif Lawal, an Islington resident, participated in the National Elite Championships the previous year. Speaking to the Camden New Journal at the time, Hussein called Sherif Lawal a real inspiration to all the younger boxers in the gym.
This was a tragic incident and my profound sympathies go out to Sherif Lawal’s family, promoter Evangelou said to The Sun. Being a part of the boxing fraternity is tough right now, and we’re all attempting to process what transpired. Nobody desires to view anything. Sherif Lawal was a fantastic man and boxer.
For the upcoming week, Hussein has shuttered St Pancras BC out of respect.
Tragically, a London-born boxer passed away on Sunday during the fourth round of his professional debut.In the first fight of a programme sponsored by Costakis Evangelou, 29-year-old Sherif Lawal was knocked out by a right hook to the head while fighting Portuguese fighter Malam Varela at Harrow Leisure Centre. BoxingNewsOnline.com reports that the bout was stopped and CPR was given in the ring for ten to fifteen minutes. Following an emergency trip to Northwick Park Hospital, Lawal was declared deceased.
Out of respect for the injured fighter, the remaining bouts on the card—which were supposed to feature cruiserweight Roberto Bakaj and light heavyweight boxer Amarildo Bakaj—were cancelled.
This was a horrible event, and Sherif Lawal’s family has my deepest sympathies. Being a part of the boxing fraternity is tough right now, and we’re all attempting to process what transpired. As said by Evangelou, “Nobody wants to see something like this in any sport,” The Sun reported. According to BoxingScene, Robert Smith, the general secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control, attested to Lawal’s passing all of his pre-fight medical examinations. Smith remarked, “That’s a terrible, tragic thing to happen.”
Sherif Lawal was trained by CJ Hussein, who was mentioned in a March Camden New Journal article about Lawal. Sherif Lawal trained out of the St. Pancras Amateur Boxing Club.
