Russian boxer Maxim Dadashev was died as a result of the injuries he sustained during a fight on Friday night, according to USA Today’s Chris Bumbaca.
Dadashev was rushed to UM Prince George’s Hospital Center following the 11th round of his loss against Subriel Matias, where he was placed in a medically induced coma and later underwent a procedure to relieve a subdural hematoma.
Dadashev, 28, was attempting to leave the ring after his trainer, James “Buddy” McGirt, threw in the towel ahead of the start of the 12th round, after arguing with Dadashev to allow him to end the fight, and Dadashev vomited before reaching the dressing room.
Dadashev (13-1, 11 KOs) faced Matias (14-0, 14 KOs) in a 140-pound world title elimination fight for the right to become the mandatory challenger for the belt held by Josh Taylor.
“One punch, as you know, can change a whole guy’s life. And I wasn’t going to let that happen,” McGirt said shortly following the fight. “I’d rather them be mad at me for a day or two than to be mad at me for the rest of their life.”
There was hope that Dadashev was turning the corner, but he passed away at the age of 28.
“Great, great guy. He was a trainers dream,” McGirt said, according to ESPN. “If I had two more guys like him, I wouldn’t need anybody else because he was truly dedicated to the sport.”
“I saw him fading and when he came back to the corner (after the 11th round), my mind was already made up,” McGirt said. “I was just asking him out of respect, but my mind was made up. I wasn’t going to let him go out there.”