Russian boxer Maxim Dadashev died of injuries suffered during a bout Friday night at MGM National Harbor casino in Oxon Hill, Md., his wife and officials from Top Rank promotions said Tuesday afternoon.
Dadashev, 28, had been hospitalized since late Friday night following surgery for massive head trauma from a loss to Subriel Matias in their 140-pound International Boxing Federation world title eliminator.
Dadashev’s wife, Elizaveta Apushkina, traveled from Russia over the weekend to be with her husband, according to the fighter’s manager, Egis Klimas, who was at the hospital after the fight with strength and conditioning coach Donatus Janusevicius. The couple has a 2-year-old son, Daniel.
“It is with great sadness that I confirm the passing of my husband, Maxim Dadashev,” Apushkina said in a statement released by hospital officials. “He was a very kind person who fought until the very end. Our son will continue to be raised to be a great man like his father.
Lastly, I would like to thank everyone that cared for Maxim during his final days. I ask that everyone please respect our privacy during this very difficult time.”
Officials at Top Rank, which promoted Friday’s card, indicated the Maryland State Athletic Commission, which did not immediately return a request for comment, would almost certainly launch an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Dadashev’s death.
The athletic commission is responsible for oversight and regulation of combat sports in the state. It is standard operating procedure, according to Top Rank, for the athletic commission in any state to investigate serious injury or death following an officially sanctioned bout.
The ring death is at least the sixth documented case since 2016. Before Dadashev, the most recent report of a death from a boxing injury came in November 2018 when Italian Christian Daghio died two days after a brutal knockout loss to Don Parueang in Bangkok.
In February 2018, Scott Westgarth of the United Kingdom collapsed and died not long after beating Dec Spelman in Doncaster, England.