Boxing: Maxim Dadashev Dies From Injuries Suffered In Friday Bout
Trainer stopped fight after 11th round, but Russia-born fighter received fatal damage in title elimination match.
Boxer Maxim Dadashev died Tuesday as a result of brain injuries suffered in his Friday bout, his trainer and family members confirmed to numerous media outlets. He was 28. The fatal damage came in an 11th-round TKO loss to Subriel Matias in a junior welterweight title eliminator at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md.
Trainer Buddy McGirt, a former two-division boxing champion who has coached several fighters, was among those who confirmed the death of Dadashev. The bout was stopped at McGirt's insistence to the doctor and referee. The trainer, who is well regarded for prioritizing the safety of his fighters, told ESPN he considered stopping the fight sooner but knew his fighter had seen enough after the 11th round.
"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."
Matias dominated the 12-round fight and landed several powerful head and body shots. He was winning on the scorecards by a wide margin when the bout was called to a halt.
The Russia-born Dadashev reportedly had trouble leaving the ring and collapsed before reaching the dressing room. He began vomiting and was rushed from the arena to the hospital, where he underwent emergency brain surgery for a subdural hematoma, or bleeding on the brain. He was later placed in a medically induced coma.
"It just makes you realize what type of sport we're in, man," McGirt told ESPN. "He did everything right in training, no problems, no nothing. My mind is like really running crazy right now. Like, what could I have done differently? But at the end of the day, everything was fine (in training)."
Dadashev had a record of 13-1 with 11 knockouts. He was a silver medalist at the 2008 World Junior Championships and was seen as a rising prospect in the pros. He gained recognition last year with consecutive victories over former lightweight title holders Darleys Perez and Antonio DeMarco.