Wrestler dies in Lagos

A Nigerian professional wrestler, Christopher Okechukwu, popularly known as De Lion Man, died on Sunday after losing his heavyweight title fight to a fellow Nigerian, Power Lee, at the National Stadium, Lagos.

The championship, tagged the Survival of the Fittest, No Retreat, No Surrender, is organised by Ultimate Wrestling and Charity Organisation of Nigeria in conjunction with DAAR Communications, Accolades and Ratinwa Communications.

An eyewitness account claimed that De Lion Man, who came from Anambra State, collapsed outside the venue shortly after the fight and died while being rushed to hospital.

But founder of the Ultimate Wrestling and Charity Organisation, who is also a heavyweight champion, Osita Ofor, popularly known as Ultimate Commander, claimed in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Monday that he noticed that the late wrestler was not fit and that he stopped the fight.

He said, ”He started well but a few minutes into the fight, I noticed that he was not strong enough to continue so I called for the fight to be stopped. When I inquired about his fight history, I was told he had just recovered from illness and had not had enough training before the fight.

”I organised the fight in honour of Nigerian Wrestling Board of Control and the turn-out was alright. De Lion Man did not die in the ring; he probably died on his way home.”

He added that there were medical personnel at the venue who attended to all injured wrestlers and that De Lion Man would have been attended to if he had collapsed in the ring or at the venue.
Source:http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201012212513215