A few days after a knockout defeat, US professional boxer Patrick Day has died as a result of his brain injuries. The 27-year-old lost his fight for his life on Wednesday, promoter Lou DiBella said in a statement. Day died in hospital with his neighbors.
He had collapsed unconscious in the fight against Charles Conwell on Saturday in Chicago after several heavy hits in the tenth round and hit hard on the ground. As a result, an emergency operation had to be performed on his brain, Day was since then in a coma.
"He opted for boxing and knew the inherent risks to which all fighters are exposed when they enter the ring," the statement said. In days like these, however, it would be difficult to justify the dangers of boxing. Even if there are no simple solutions, it is time to act to make boxing safer. "That way, we can honor the legacy of Pat Day."
Dylan Buell / AFP
Battle scene: Heavy blows to the head
Open letter of the ring opponent
His ring-rival Conwell, who had dealt him the momentous blows, was dismayed. "I've never wanted anything like that to happen to you," he'd written in a Twitter message after the fight, which he reiterated on a recent occasion. "All I wanted was to win." The battle scenes in his mind would torment him ever since. "If I could undo everything, I would do it."
#champpatrickday pic.twitter.com/S5MO43552C
- Charles Conwell (@CharlesConwell) October 15, 2019In July, there had been two similar cases: super-lightweights Maxim Dadaschew from Russia had been put into an artificial coma after several head hits and succumbed to his injuries four days later.
Two days later, Argentine Hugo Santillan died of heart failure after falling into a coma after a fight. Previously, he had been provided by the German boxing federation with a protective barrier.
