Tuesday brought tragic news out of the boxing world as 28-year-old Russian boxer Maxim Dadashev died due to severe brain injuries that he sustained in his Friday night bout against Subriel Matias.
The Russian junior welterweight boxer took 319 punches during the fight, and after the 11th round, Dadashev’s trainer Bud McGirt recognized that something was terribly wrong.
Ringside video showed as McGirt pleaded with Dadashev to stop fighting, and the Russian fighter was hardly responsive. Despite Dadashev’s apparent refusal to stop fighting, McGirt threw in the towel in an attempt to save Dadashev’s life. Tragically, the damage had already been done.
McGirt said after the fight that he’d rather have Dadashev be upset with him about calling a fight than deal with the potential life-threatening consequences. It went to show that even when a trainer has the fighter’s best interests in mind, a fight can still end in tragedy.
As MMA Junkie’s Simon Samano noted on Twitter, fans should respect the decision whenever a trainer throws in the towel or a referee calls a fight early. It can be a life-or-death decision.
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