Racheed Lawal: Danish European Champion
Racheed Lawal was a Danish professional boxer born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on December 4, 1965. His career included European championships at super featherweight and lightweight, a European light-welterweight challenge and a WBO welterweight world-title challenge. He competed professionally from 1986 to 1994 and finished with 25 wins, four defeats and one draw.
Career and championship record
Born Abdul Rashid Lawal, he moved to Denmark as a child to join his father and became associated with boxing in Aarhus. His recorded professional debut was a points victory over John Townsley in Copenhagen on October 3, 1986. His early schedule included wins over Roberto Castañón, Nedrick Simmons and Tony Pep.
On December 8, 1988, Lawal knocked out Lars Lund Jensen in Copenhagen to win the European super-featherweight championship. He defended against John Doherty and Mike Whalley in 1989 before losing the title to Daniel Londas that June. Those contests established his first European championship period.
Lawal subsequently moved through higher weight divisions. He challenged Manning Galloway for the WBO welterweight championship in Copenhagen on May 17, 1991, and lost by stoppage. Later that year, he challenged Pat Barrett for the European light-welterweight title in Manchester and again lost by stoppage.
He returned to winning form against Peter Till and Paul Charters in 1992. His subsequent record included a draw with Evgeny Burchak and victories over Rudi Valentino, John Roby and Tony Foster. These contests preceded his second European championship opportunity, this time at lightweight.
Lawal won the vacant European lightweight title against Paul Burke in Aalborg on April 22, 1994. Jean-Baptiste Mendy stopped him in the ninth round of their December 4 contest in France, ending that reign. The Mendy fight was Lawal’s final professional appearance and took place on his twenty-ninth birthday.
Lawal died in Aarhus on November 24, 1996, aged 30. Danish biographical accounts report that he was fatally stabbed while working as a doorman at the David Crockett nightclub. He was buried at Risskov Cemetery in Aarhus.
Sources
Additional sources: https://boxerlist.com/boxer/racheed-lawal/7282; https://www.sportenote.com/vedi_dettagli.asp?id=46128; https://www.danishfightnight.com/nyheder/enock-poulsen-efter-sin-em-triumf-det-er-endnu-ikke-ga-et-op-for-mig-at-jeg-er-europamester
Additional sources: https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Racheed_Lawal; https://arkiv.dk/vis/2667736; https://gravsted.dk/person.php?navn=racheedlawal
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