James Oyebola dead

[crowie]

What a sad end to a life

Shot boxer pronounced brain dead
James Oyebola
James Oyebola retired from boxing in 1996
A former British heavyweight boxer who was shot when he asked customers at a club to stop smoking has been declared brain dead, his solicitor has said.

Scott Ewing said James Oyebola's life support machine will be switched off by doctors on Friday.

Oyebola, 47, was shot in the head and leg in a courtyard at the back of Chateau 6 in Fulham Road, south-west London, in the early hours of Monday.

His attackers opened fire as they left the club and fled on foot.

Mr Ewing, said he was being kept alive on Thursday so family members could pay their last respects.

Consultants will legally declare him dead just before midday on Friday and switch off his life support machine.

I remember Oyebola as a boxer. He as born in Nigeria but was brought up in England. I am sure he boxed at something like the Commenwealth or Olympic games and put up a decent performance, think it was at super-heavyweight.

He looked a real prospect as he was fecking huge, 6ft 9" tall, at a time before any gargantuan Russians had ever appeared on the boxing stage, he was a fair bit taller than the average Heavyweight.

Seems he did win the WBC International Heavyweight Title, beating fellow Brit Scott Welch in Atlantic City.

BritishBoxing.net - Boxing Fights

Notice Lennox Lewis on the bill below him there.

He seemed to fade away after that fight though, losing his last 2 fights to Welch and then Julius Francis.

By the sounds of it he was a doorman but still involved with boxing...and a "gentle giant" according to Maloney. Seems he asked a few lads to leave a bar as they were smoking inside it, they went outside and when they were leaving, shot him in the face

Who the fuck shoots someone in the face at close range just because they have been asked to stop smoking in a bar....

[crowie]

This was the original BBC story with more details

Boxer shot over club smoking row
James Oyebola
The shooting is being investigated by Operation Trident detectives
A former British heavyweight boxer was shot when he asked customers at a club to stop smoking.

James Oyebola, 47, is critically ill in hospital after being shot in the head and leg at Chateau 6 in Fulham Road, in south-west London.

Three men were seen running away after the 6ft 9ins tall former fighter, from north-west London, was shot.

Police said Mr Oyebola was involved in an altercation about smoking in the rear garden before being shot.

A search of the area was undertaken by police, including armed officers, following the shooting in the early hours of Monday.


It is a horrible crime to happen anywhere but over nothing - an incident such as smoking - these people need to be caught
DCI Scott Wilson

The shooting is being handled by detectives from Operation Trident, which investigates gun crime in the black community.

Det Ch Insp Scott Wilson said police believe the three black suspects, aged between 19 and 25, ran from the club in separate directions.

"The altercation takes place, someone pulled out a gun and shots are fired, I can imagine it was over in 20 seconds," DCI Wilson said.

"It is a horrible crime to happen anywhere but over nothing - an incident such as smoking - these people need to be caught," he said.

In a statement Oyebola's family thanked friends and fans for their "unprecedented show of support for James's well being".

Mr Oyebola's former manager, Frank Maloney, described the boxer as a "gentle giant" and said he had done a lot of work in the community to get youngsters into boxing and sport.

"I was absolutely devastated, struck dumb when I heard the news," he told BBC London.

The British Boxing Board of Control paid tribute to the former heavyweight champion, turned manager.

General secretary Simon Block said Mr Oyebola was "one of nature's gentlemen" and the shooting was a "cowardly and gutless attack".

[Winrew]

Tragic end indeed...

[andeeeee]

rid the streets of the scum , bring the death penalty back

[Hippy Dave]

Originally Posted by andeeeee

rid the streets of the scum , bring the death penalty back

Yeah, because you don't get murders in countries with the death penalty

[andeeeee]

legalize guns and people can protect themselves.

[bulit]

Originally Posted by andeeeee

legalize guns and people can protect themselves.

If you do that then people will protect themselves and shoot others and then you didn't do nothing. Lot's of maniacs on the street.

BTW: Tragic end indeed

[andeeeee]

the maniacs are on the streets now .

[slick]

Its a very sad story indeed and one i've been following for most of the week, my heart goes out to his family and friends and until we somehow stop this 'respect' attitude in people it will happen over and over again.

We've created a society where you can earn respect by being a criminal or a thug and there covered by the unwritten rule that grassing is worse than the crime itself.

This has been going on for yrs and until something is done about it nothing will change.

[GaNgStA kEeKs]

Jesus...Thats fucking sickening.

I didnt know of the guy as a boxer but he seems to have commanded a lot of respect.

Such a cowardly act. I hope these bastards rot in hell

[crowie]

A man arrested by police investigating the murder of a former British heavyweight boxer during a row over smoking has been released on bail.
James Oyebola, 47, was shot at the back of Chateau 6 in Fulham Road, south-west London, early on Monday, after asking customers to put out their cigarettes.

He died in hospital on Thursday after his life support was switched off.

A 19-year-old, arrested in West London, was bailed to return mid-August pending further inquiries, police said.

Doctors at Charing Cross Hospital declared Mr Oyebola brain dead on Thursday.

[all_funkt_up]

Very sad, but its still a rarity - relatively speaking.