Maxim Dadashev, a boxer, has died from injuries he suffered during a fight on July 19, according to an announcement on Tuesday, July 23.
Dadashev, 28, a Russian junior welterweight contender, was battling Subriel Matias of Puerto Rico in a fight in Maryland televised on ESPN when Matias began pummeling him.
Dadashev took a number of blows to his face as his trainer Buddy McGirt asked him to give up.
The fight was eventually called and Dadashev was rushed to a nearby hospital, UM Prince George’s Hospital Center.
This is a mark of a great trainer, one that knows his warrior at war ???? a trainer has to love his fighter enough to make a crucial call sometimes saving him from his very self. Great call Buddy @buddymcgirtboxing prayers up for this young warrior #speedyrecovery #toughsport ???????? pic.twitter.com/cKljvTKOgt
— The Magic Man ???? (@AntonioTarver) July 20, 2019
Donatas Janusevicius, Dadashev’s strength and conditioning coach, and the boxer’s trainer Buddy McGirt confirmed the death to ESPN.
“It just makes you realize what type of sport we’re in, man,” McGirt said. “He did everything right in training, no problems, no nothing. My mind is like really running crazy, right now. Like what could I have done differently? But at the end of the day, everything was fine (in training).”
“He seemed OK, he was ready, but it’s the sport that we’re in. It just takes one punch, man,” the trainer added, lauding Dadashev as a “great guy.”
“He was a trainers dream,” McGirt said. “If I had two more guys like him, I wouldn’t need anybody else because he was truly dedicated to the sport.”
He said he initially wanted to throw in the towel in the ninth round but waited until the 11th because Dadashev didn’t want the bout to end.
Dadashev was rushed to the hospital after collapsing in the dressing room and vomiting and doctors conducted emergency surgery after finding brain bleeding before placing him in a medically induced coma.
Dadashev’s wife was due to arrive in the United States on July 30, according to ESPN. She was traveling from Russia.
Steven Kim, a boxing writer for ESPN, said the death should prompt a review of ringside protocols.
I really hope in the wake of this news, that ringside protocols are reviewed. Literally every second counts when attending to damaged fighters. That’s all I can really add at this moment…
— Steve Kim (@StevESPNKim) July 23, 2019
I can honestly say that from being ringside, I dont second guess his corner. No who was there, did. Dadashev had some moments in the late rds before things fell apart a bit in the 11th https://t.co/eVQnuPHTAZ
— Steve Kim (@StevESPNKim) July 23, 2019
“Literally every second counts when attending to damaged fighters. That’s all I can really add at this moment,” he wrote.
Responding to a query from a Twitter user, he added: “I can honestly say that from being ringside, I dont second guess his corner. No [one] who was there, did.”
“Dadashev had some moments in the late rds before things fell apart a bit in the 11th.,” he wrote.
Didn’t know him personally, but I respected what he was fighting for. He wanted to bring his family to the states for a better life, and I fully respect that. Sadly his life was cut short, and I can only imagine what his loved ones are going through. My condolences to his family pic.twitter.com/61vtLFQdKz
— Jamel Herring (@JamelHerring) July 23, 2019
Jamel Herring was among the boxers mourning the loss of Dadashev.
“Didn’t know him personally, but I respected what he was fighting for. He wanted to bring his family to the states for a better life, and I fully respect that,” he wrote.
“Sadly his life was cut short, and I can only imagine what his loved ones are going through. My condolences to his family.”
