During his career as a lightweight boxer Adeyemi Abayomi was the Nigerian champion, the African champion, and the Commonwealth champion. Abayomi won his first national championship in 1964, holding the title for the next ten years, with him also becoming a seven-time African champion. His greatest moment was winning gold at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland, with victory against the home favourite John Gillan. Two years later he boxed at the 1972 München Olympics but lost his first fight when the referee stopped the contest against Romania’s Antoniu Vasile. After his active career he turned to coaching, working with the Nigerian boxing team from 1983 to 1999. Sadly, Abayomi spent the end of his life suffering with senility and living in poverty.
Nigeria