Abel Osundairo, one of the Nigerian brothers accused of attacking disgraced “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett, won Chicago’s Golden Gloves boxing competition Friday night.
Abel won the senior novice division from a technical knockout in the first round, according to the Chicago Tribune. He competed in the amateur division for fighters between the ages of 21-35 and weigh under 178 lbs.
Tonight at the Chicago Golden Gloves Finals — Abimbola “Abel” Osundairo overpowered his opponent from the start.
After the match he told me he’s just boxing for fun, training 5 days a week.
Tonight was all about his win; he didn’t want to discuss anything else. pic.twitter.com/BqnS9JItE9— ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????????? (@WashNews) April 13, 2019
As previously reported, Smollett paid Osundairo and his brother, Ola, $3,500 to stage a racist and homophobic attack against himself in January. Smollett claims the check was for personal training, as the brothers were helping him get back in shape for a music video. (RELATED: Osundairo Brothers Claim Jussie Smollett Paid Them For Personal Training)
The brothers were arrested after Smollett identified them as his attackers in surveillance video according to court documents. Abel and Ola were released two days after being interviewed by police. Smollett was then charged with 16 counts of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report, all of which were dropped due to the actor’s thin community service record.
Chicago sues actor Jussie Smollett for police costs https://t.co/7p3ccrPQkM pic.twitter.com/OJOsndq9Eb
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) April 12, 2019
Even though the prosecution dropped all charges against Smollett, the Chicago Police Department filed a civil lawsuit to collect the $130,000 it took to investigate Smollett’s false report.
The Osundairo brothers have expressed regret in the past months about their involvement in the alleged hate crime hoax.
“My clients have tremendous regret over their involvement in this situation, and they understand how it has impacted people across the nation, particularly minority communities and especially those who have been victims of hate crimes themselves,” the Osundairo brothers’ attorney, Gloria Schmidt, told CNN.