Russian boxer Maxim Dadashev has died at the age of 28, according to ESPN.
Dadashev was placed in a medically-induced coma after sustaining "severe brain damage" during his loss to Subriel Matias in an IBF junior welterweight title eliminator fight on Friday. In the eleventh round of the fight, Dadashev's trainer Buddy McGirt decided to throw in the towel after realizing his fighter had taken enough punishment.
"God forbid, one punch as you know can change a whole guy's life and I wasn't going to let that happen," McGirt told CBS when asked why he stopped the fight. "I'd rather have them be mad at me for a day or two then to be mad at me for the rest of their life."
It was evident that McGirt made the right decision. Before Dadashev could make it back to the locker room, the boxer vomited and collapsed. Medics then carried Dadashev out of the MGM National Harbor in Maryland on a stretcher.
Once he arrived at the hospital, it was revealed that Dadashev had a subdural hematoma causing blood to build in his skull. This prompted neurosurgeon Mary IH Cobb to operate on the boxer in an attempt to save his life. Following the surgery, Dadashev was placed in a medically induced coma from which he never awoke.
Dadashev is survived by his wife and son who traveled from Russia to be with him during the surgery. He was undefeated heading into his fight against Matias and won a silver and bronze medal in the Russian championships while competing at the amateur level.
