James Oyebola was a British heavyweight boxer who won a bronze medal at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in the super heavyweight division. Oyebola was the British heavyweight champion from 1994 to 1996. He was born on 10 June 1961 in Lagos, Nigeria and pronounced brain dead on 26 July 2007 after injuries sustained by gunshot wounds to his head after a nightclub altercation. He was based in Paddington during his career. Standing 6 ft 9 in (2.05 metres) tall, with a reach of 85 inches (2.16 metres), he fought in the orthodox manner and won 18 of his 23 fights, 16 by knock out, losing 4 and drawing 1. He won the WBC International Heavyweight title in 1993 and the vacant British Heavyweight title on 19 November 1994 at the National Ice Rink, Cardiff, Wales when he knocked out Clifton Mitchell in 4 rounds. His last fight, in 1996, was a defeat to Julius Francis. He was nicknamed "Big Bad" during his career.Oyebola was shot in the face and leg after an altercation in the Chateau 6 club at Fulham Broadway, where he worked as a bouncer and was drinking in the early hours of 23 July 2007. He had gone to assist staff who were asking three customers in the rear courtyard to put out their cigarettes to observe the recent UK smoking ban and was shot as they left the premises. Simon Block, general secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control, paid the following tribute, "Throughout that time he was truly one of nature's gentlemen and to think of him lying in a hospital bed fighting for his life as a result of a cowardly and gutless attack by those who will not have been possessed of the same courage that he showed in the way he faced adversity, in and out of the ring, fills me with both sadness and dismay." Oyebola's family decided that they would turn off his life support machine on the 27 July 2007 at 11:30 am (10:30 GMT) after he was pronounced brain dead on the 26 July 2007.It was announced at 12:39 pm on the 27 July 2007 that James Oyebola had died after his life support machine had been switched off. Frank Malony, who managed Mr Oyebola during the 1990s and was with the family when his friend died, described the boxer as a "role model" for the black community."Not only have I lost a colleague and friend, the boxing world has lost a great ambassador and the community has lost a great role model through the actions of cowards."