Nigeria’s first-ever Olympic medalist and legendary boxer, Nojim Maiyegun, has died at 83.
Maiyegun’s death was confirmed on Monday in a Facebook post by Rudolfine F Soultan, who is believed to be a confidante of the late former pugilist.
“My Jimmy died. I can’t say more about this right now because it’s just horrible. The day after tomorrow, we would have been together for 17 years,” she wrote.
Also, a source close to the family told TheCable that Maiyegun passed away on Monday morning at his base in Vienna, Austria.
Maiyegun, who revealed his loss of vision in 2012, was battling an unidentified illness for a couple of months, it was gathered.
He made history as the first Nigerian to win a medal at the Olympics, when he picked up a bronze medal in the light-heavyweight category in boxing event at the 1964 games in Tokyo.
He followed it up by clinching another bronze this time at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica.
Other boxers who also won medals for Nigeria at the Olympic games are Isaac Ikhouria (bronze, Munich 1972), Peter Konyegwachi (silver, Los Angeles 1984), David Izonrite (silver, Barcelona 1992), Richard Igbineghu (silver, Barcelona 1992) and Duncan Dokiwari (bronze, Atlanta 1996).
Maiyegun left Nigeria in 1971 to begin a professional boxing career and fought 16 times, winning 12 with 10 of them via knockouts.
By James Agberebi
2 Comments
May his soul rest in peace.Amen.
RIP…
He’s well before even my parents’ generation, so don’t know anything about him (familiar with the name though) but if Nigeria had not descended into a third world s/hole these are the sorts of legendary folks who would/should have enjoyed his final decades on earth enjoying the adoration of his people right here at home.