His Trainer Ended the Fight, but It Was Too Late for Boxer, 28

Maxim Dadashev died after collapsing outside the ring
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 24, 2019 3:46 PM CDT
Boxer, 28, Collapses, Dies After Losing Match
In this Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018 file photo, Maxim Dadashev celebrates after defeating Antonio DeMarco during a junior welterweight bout in Las Vegas.   (AP Photo/John Locher)

"I'm gonna stop the fight, Max. You're getting hit too much." So said trainer Buddy McGirt to boxer Maxim Dadashev Friday before calling an end to his boxing match with Subriel Matias after 11 rounds—in a video that's gone viral now that Dadashev, 28, is dead. The boxer, who required assistance leaving the ring after the fight in Maryland, collapsed before he even got to the dressing room, then started vomiting. He was taken to a hospital and underwent emergency brain surgery for bleeding on the brain. He was placed in a medically induced coma in the hopes that his brain swelling would subside, but he ultimately died from the brain injuries Tuesday, ESPN reports. Matias had "landed numerous powerful blows to [Dadashev's] head and body" during the fight, per ESPN.

McGirt says he considered ending the fight after the ninth round. "I saw him fading, and when he came back to the corner [after the 11th round], my mind was already made up," he says. In a lengthy post at Sports Illustrated about the dangers of the sport, Chris Mannix writes, "Knowing McGirt, it’s likely he will forever wonder what would happen had he stopped it a couple of rounds sooner." Dadashev's widow, who lives in Russia with the couple's young son, arrived in Maryland Monday and is making arrangements to have her husband's body transported back to his native country, RT.com reports. Dadashev was "fighting for his family with the goal of securing a talent-based green card so he and his family can reside in the USA," according to a GoFundMe campaign set up for his family. It notes that "boxing isn't a very lucrative job unless you're near the very top." (Another boxer died after losing for the first time in his career.)

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