Boxer Patrick Day dies from brain trauma sustained in fight
Boxer Patrick Day has died after sustaining head injuries during a Saturday fight in Chicago that left him in a coma. He was 27 years old.
Day’s promotor Lou DiBella announced the news in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
From the statement:
Patrick Day passed away today, October 16, 2019, 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. On behalf of Patrick's family, team, and those closest to him, we are grateful for the prayers, expressions of support and outpouring of love for Pat that have been so obvious since his injury.
Day never regained consciousness after KO in ring
Day suffered the injury during a bout that Charles Conwell won via 10th-round knockout that left Day unconscious as soon as he hit the mat. Day’s head bounced off the canvas when he landed, and he required immediate medical attention in the ring.
Medical responders fitted Day with an oxygen mask and neck brace and carried him out of the ring on a stretcher to be transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
ESPN reported that Day remained unconscious and suffered a seizure before arriving at the hospital, where he was given a breathing tube and fell into a coma.
Day reportedly removed from life support
DAZN reported that doctors later performed surgery to reduce swelling on his brain and medically induced a coma. Day was then placed in intensive care, where his outlook was dire.
ESPN reports that doctors disconnected Day from life support on Wednesday as he was surrounded by his family.
Conwell’s statement
Conwell released a statement on Monday, two days after the fight.
“I never meant for this to happen to you,” Conwell wrote. “All I ever wanted to do was win. If I could take it all back I would. No one deserves for 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 for you so many times and shedded so many tears because I couldn't even imagine how my family and friends would feel. I see you everywhere I go and all I hear is wonderful things about you.”
Promoter calls for change
DiBella made a call to action for changes in boxing in the death announcement.
“It becomes very difficult to explain away or justify the dangers of boxing at a time like this,” DiBella wrote. “This is not a time where edicts or pronouncements are appropriate, or the answers are readily available. It is, however, a time for a call to action. While we don't have the answers, we certainly know many of the questions, have the means to answer them, and have the opportunity to respond responsibly and accordingly and make boxing safer for all who participate.”
Day, a junior middleweight fighter, was 17-4-1 with 6 KOs as a pro. He was a 2012 Golden Gloves champion and the 2012 USA Boxing welterweight national champion.
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