Maloney pays tribute to 'great ambassador'

Boxing promoter Frank Maloney has hailed James Oyebola as “a first-class family man and a wonderful role model” following the death of the former British heavyweight champion today.

The 47-year-old Oyebola was shot at close range in a courtyard at the Chateau 6 club after stepping in to help staff who had asked three men to put out their cigarettes.

Maloney, who was at the hospital along with members of Oyebola’s family, said: “James had to fight tooth and nail for everything he achieved in life and then he dedicated himself to encouraging young kids to do the same.

“This is one of the saddest times I have ever experienced. Boxing has lost a great ambassador and it is awful that a guy like James should have been the victim of such a cowardly attack.”

Maloney promoted the 6ft 9ins Oyebola when he knocked out Brighton’s Scott Welch to win the WBC international title in Atlantic City in 1994, and when he subsequently stopped Clifton Mitchell to claim the domestic crown.

Maloney said Oyebola’s boxing nickname of ’Big, Bad’ did scant justice to his laid-back real-life persona.

He added: “You could never associate the ’bad’ with James. I only ever saw him get angry once.

“I was in his corner for his fight against Mitchell. He was doing badly and when he came back to the corner I threatened to pull him out. He said, ’if you do that I’ll knock you out instead’. He went out and stopped Mitchell in the next round.”

Maloney continued to work closely with Oyebola after the fighter’s career came to an end in 1996. Oyebola excelled as a manager and saw his light-welterweight prospect Ajose Olusegun win the Commonwealth title in London last month.

Former opponent Welch said he had been left “completely devastated” by news of the death of Oyebola, whom he beat in a rematch in October 1995, thus ending Oyebola’s reign as domestic champion.

Welch, who is still involved in amateur boxing in Brighton, remained close to the Londoner and said: “He only phoned me two weeks ago and told me how well the family was doing and about the prospects he was managing.

“We didn’t like each other at the time but after we fought there was a great mutual respect and admiration. He might have been big and bad inside the ring but he was a great family man out of it.”

Welch also said the news was harder to take because of the circumstances surrounding Oyebola’s death. “We are boxers who get in the ring and put our lives on the line every time we fight,” Welch added.

“To be killed like that by a bunch of cowards who would obviously never dare set foot in the boxing ring is disgusting and it makes me sick.”