AMERICAN BOXER PATRICK Day has died after suffering a serious brain injury during his knockout defeat to Charles Conwell last weekend.
The 27-year-old super welterweight had undergone emergency surgery after being knocked out by Conwell on Saturday at Chicago’s Wintrust Arena, on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk’s heavyweight debut.
“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’s promoter, Lou DiBella, said in a statement.
Day, who had been in a coma following surgery at Northwestern Memorial hospital, died surrounded by family and friends.
The American fighter had been carried unconscious from the ring on a stretcher on Saturday following his 10th-round knockout.
Conwell, a 2016 American Olympian, dropped Day in the fourth and eighth rounds and then landed a right hand in the 10th which caused Day to stumble.
Seconds later Conwell rocked Day with a massive left hook that resulted in Day falling backwards and his head bouncing off the canvas. Referee Celestino Ruiz called off the fight at one minute and 46 seconds of the round.
Day lay on the canvas for several minutes receiving medical treatment before being removed from the ring.
He is the third high-profile boxer to die from injuries sustained in the ring this year.
Argentine boxer Hugo Santillan died in July following a bout in San Nicolas, just north of Buenos Aires.
Santillan’s death came just two days after Russian fighter Maxim Dadashev died from brain injuries suffered in a fight in Maryland.
In his statement on Wednesday, DiBella said he hoped Day’s death would prompt US authorities to adopt tougher safety standards.
“It becomes very difficult to explain away or justify the dangers of boxing at a time like this,” DiBella said.
“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.”
DiBella, who also promotes Ireland’s Joe Ward, added on Day the man as well as Day the fighter:
“Pat’s kindness, positivity, and generosity of spirit made a lasting impression with everyone he met. During his short life, boxing allowed Patrick to impact many communities, both big and small. In his hometown of Freeport, Long Island, he was a beacon of light and the star pupil at the Freeport PAL, the gym he trained in from the moment he began boxing until the last bout of his career.
“He was recognized as one of Long Island’s finest professional fighters for years. He was a fixture in the boxing community throughout New York City. Patrick was even known in Japan, which he visited to spar with his friend and colleague, world champion Ryota Murata.
Patrick Day didn’t need to box. He came from a good family, he was smart, educated, had good values and had other avenues available to him to earn a living. He chose to box, knowing the inherent risks that every fighter faces when he or she walks into a boxing ring. Boxing is what Pat loved to do. It’s how he inspired people and it was something that made him feel alive.
