Home Boxing News Maxim Dadashev passes away at age 28 after stoppage loss on the...

Maxim Dadashev passes away at age 28 after stoppage loss on the weekend

Maxim Dadashev

Russian boxer Maxim Dadashev 13-1 (11) has passed away in hospital due to injuries sustained in his fight against Subriel Matias 14-0 (14) on the weekend.

The 28-year-old was retired on his stool by trainer Buddy McGirt at the end of the 11th round of the IBF junior welterweight eliminator at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland on Friday night.

Dadashev objected to the stoppage before exiting the ring on his own power and later collapsing. He was rushed to the UM Prince George Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery for swelling on the brain but his heart stopped on Tuesday, according to the Russian Boxing Federation.

“It is with great sadness that I confirm the passing of my husband, Maxim Dadashev,” his widow Elizaveta Apushkina wrote in a statement. “He was a very kind person who fought until the very end. Our son will continue be raised to be a great man like his father.”

The heartbroken wife added the following message on the fighter’s Instagram page: “My love! You are forever in my heart, the soul is torn from the pain without you! It is the hardest time in our family.”

The Russian Boxing Federation’s secretary general Umar Kremlev said the federation would investigate whether anyone was at fault for Dadashev’s death.

“We need to know the truth about what happened,” Kremlev wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “I believe that some human factors intervened, that there was some kind of violation.”

He added the federation would give Dadashev’s family financial support.

ESPN boxing reporter Steve Kim quoted McGirt as saying Dadashev was a “great, great guy”.

“He was a trainer’s dream. If I had two more guys like him, I wouldn’t need anybody else because he was truly dedicated to the sport.”

Tributes for the fallen warrior have flowed on social media.

Former WBC light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal wrote on Twitter: “Another sad day for boxing. We are like soldiers. We are going to war for our country, family, loved ones and we never know if we’ll make it back home. RIP Dadashev.”

WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford tweeted: “Wow my heart heavy right now. I remember walking to the gas station with Maxim after he weighed in for one of his fights. Pray for his family to have strength in these tuff times because he was a good dude. RIP”

Multi-division world champion Amanda Serrano posted: “With a Saddened Heart I want to send my deepest condolences to the family of Maxim Dadashev who passed away after receiving head trauma in his last fight. Ppl boxing is a tuff sport, we put our lives on the line every single time we step in the ring. RIP my boxing brother”

Dadashev was regarded a rising star of the sport after defeating former WBC lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco and former interim WBA 135-pound champion Darleys Perez last year.