Patrick Day, the American junior middleweight boxer who fell into a coma after his knockout defeat to Charles Conwell last Saturday in Chicago, has died aged 27.
The news was confirmed on Wednesday night by promoter Lou DiBella, listing “traumatic brain injury” as the cause of death.
Day was knocked down three times in the fight, the final sequence coming in round 10, when he was knocked down by a left hook with his head hitting the canvas heavily. Day was stretchered from the ring and lapsed into a coma, having reportedly had a seizure in the ambulance on the way to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where emergency brain surgery was performed.
DiBella said in a statement on his website: “Patrick Day passed away today, succumbing to the traumatic brain injury he suffered in his fight this past Saturday, October 12, at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL.
“He was surrounded by his family, close friends and members of his boxing team, including his mentor, friend and trainer Joe Higgins.
“Patrick Day didn’t need to box. He came from a good family, he was smart, educated, had good values and had other avenues available to him to earn a living. He chose to box, knowing the inherent risks that every fighter faces when he or she walks into a boxing ring.
“Boxing is what Pat loved to do. It’s how he inspired people and it was something that made him feel alive.”
British promoter Eddie Hearn tweeted: “Devastated to hear the news of the passing of Patrick Day. I met him for the first time last Thursday, what a charming young man with a dream and a smile that lit up the room. Our deepest prayers are with his family, his trainer Joe Higgins, Charles Conwell and promoter Lou DiBella.”
Conwell expressed his distress at the situation in a Twitter post addressed to Day on Tuesday. The 21-year-old wrote he “never meant this to happen”.
“All I wanted to do was win. If I could take it all back, I would,” Conwell wrote. “No one deserves this to happen to them. I replay the fight over and over in my head thinking what if this never happened and why did it happen to you.
“I can’t stop thinking about it myself I prayed so many times and shedded so many tears because I couldn’t even imagine how my friends and family would feel. I see you everywhere I go and all I hear is wonderful things about you.”