Sherif Lawal: 29-Year-Old Boxer Dies After Receiving Blow During His First Professional Fight

• Sherif Lawal's quest to become a professional boxer ended in grief after he was killed in his debut fight
• Lawal tumbled to the floor at the Harrow Leisure Centre in London after receiving a blow on the temple from competitor Malam Varela
• Medics performed CPR for 10 minutes before rushing him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead

Sherif Lawal, a 29-year-old boxer, passed away in his first-ever professional fight after he received a blow from competitor Malam Varela.

Lawal collapsed after being hit on the temple by Varela during their fight at the Harrow Leisure Centre in London.

How did Sherif Lawal die?

Sky Sports reports that the middleweight boxer was knocked down in the fourth round of the six-round contest.

Details indicate that referee Lee Every began the knockout count but noticed Lawal was clinging to life.

Medics rushed into the ring, where they performed CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on Lawal for more than 10 minutes.

The unconscious sportsman was taken to the hospital in an ambulance but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Organisers cancelled show

The event's promoter, Warren Boxing Management, confirmed the tragedy in a statement on Instagram.

"Warren Boxing Management would like to send our condolences to all of Sherif’s family, friends, coaches and all those close to him at this tragic time,” read part of the statement.

Since Lawal's fight was the event's first match, the organisers cancelled the subsequent fights after the tragedy.

It is reported that Lawal has been boxing since 2018, but he was yet to compete professionally.

Boxer Raphael Shigali shot in Azimio demos

Lawal's death brought back memories of Kenyan boxer Raphael Shigali, who police officers allegedly shot in July 2023.

Shigali was among the nine people shot dead by police during the demonstrations called by the Azimio la Umoja party leader Raila Odinga.

The incident occurred around the Makadara-Hamza area along Jogoo Road, with a postmortem report showing the celebrated boxer died of a single gunshot in the head.

Many sports-loving Kenyans mourned the Nairobi Bantamweight boxing champion as a promising sportsman whose career was cut short prematurely.

Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke