Deaths in the Ring

**IamInuit** · 05-28-2011 09:34 PM

1947: Jimmy Doyle died of brain injuries 17 hours after being knocked out by Sugar Ray Robinson in a world welterweight title fight. Fifteen months earlier, Doyle had suffered severe concussion in a contest with Artie Levine.
1948: Sam Baroudi never recovers after being knocked out by Ezzard Charles and dies of a brain hemorrhage.
1953: The Ring Annual reported that 22 boxers had died as a result of injuries sustained during the year. This remains the highest figure since records were kept.
1962: Benny Paret died of brain injuries after losing to Emile Griffith in a world welterweight title fight.
1963: Davey Moore died after collapsing in his dressing-room after he was beaten by Ultiminio Ramos for the world featherweight title.
1964: Lyn James, from Pontypridd, died in hospital from a brain injury - the decade's first fatality in British boxing.
1969: Four days after a points defeat by Joe Bugner, Ulrich Regis died after surgery to remove a clot from his brain.
1972: Mick Pinkney choked on his own blood after a fifth-round knock- out by Jim Moore in Leeds. The inquest report said there was no sign of where the blood had come from.
1978: Angelo Jacopucci collapsed and died after fighting Alan Minter for the European middleweight title. European title fights were shortened to 12 rounds as a result.
1979: Willie Claasen died after he lost to Wilfred Scypion in New York. A few weeks earlier he had been knocked out in two rounds by British champion Tony Sibson.
1980: Lupe Pintor of Mexico beat the Welshman Johnny Owen for the WBC bantamweight title. Owen died six weeks later, having never regained consciousness.
1982: Young Ali (Asymin Mustapha) collapsed on the way out of the ring after being knocked out by Barry McGuigan in London. He lay in a coma for several months and died in December.
1982: Duk-koo Kim was carried from the ring in a coma after he was beaten by Ray Mancini for the WBA lightweight title. He died four days after the contest. Subsequently, world championship bouts were cut from 15 to 12 rounds.
1983: Kiko Bejines died of brain injuries after a defeat by Albert Davila for the WBC bantamweight title.
1985: Shawn Thomas died of head injuries suffered in a lightweight fight against Chris Calvin.
1985: Gerardo Derbez died of brain damage after being in a coma since being knocked out by Jorge Vaca.
1985: Jacob Morake died from head injuries received when he was knocked out by Brian Mitchell.
1986: The Scottish-born Steve Watt died of brain injuries after a defeat by Rocky Kelly in Fulham.
1987: Jean-Claude Vinci died half-an-hour after he was beaten on points by Lionel Jean.
1988: Daniel Thetele collapsed and died after losing to Aaron Williams.
1988: Brian Baronet, was in a coma for three days before dying after being knocked out by Kenny Vice.
1989: David Thio died 10 days after being knocked out by Terrence Ali.
1989: Rod Douglas, stopped by Herol Graham in a British middleweight title fight, underwent brain surgery to remove a clot.
1990: Patrick Stone died of a brain injury the day after beating Gary Wills.
1991: Michael Watson spent 38 days in a coma after being stopped by Chris Eubank. He is confined to a wheelchair.
1991: Clive Skwebe died nine days after being knocked out by Ndoda Mayenda.
1991: Patrick Diniso died after being knocked unconscious during a featherweight bout.
1991: Minoru Katsumata died after a 10th-round stoppage by Takashi Hurata.
1993: Yasuji Hamakawa died after being knocked down twice in one round.
1994: Wangila Napunyi collapsed after being stopped by David Gonzalez. He died after an operation to remove a blood clot from his brain.
1994: British bantamweight Bradley Stone died from a massive blood clot on the brain after losing to Richie Wenton.
1994: Michael Bentt was rushed to hospital and had to retire after his WBO heavyweight title defeat against Herbie Hide in London.

An estimated 500 boxers have died in the ring since the introduction of the Marquis of Queensberry rules in 1884.

**CutMeMick** · 05-29-2011 12:41 AM

I have the Pintor-Owen fight but can't bring myself to see it...
Same thing with the Collins-Resto fight...

John Burns is believe to be the only fighter to have killed a man due to injuries and in turn himself die from injuries...

Also Jimmy Garcia passed from his bout vs. Ruelas.
Sam McVea apparently while sparring injured his partner who died in the hospital days later.
Same with "Ruby" Fitzsimmons while sparring he injureda boxer who died and also during a fight.
Levander passed after the Jesus Chavez fight.
A young former champ Nobuo Nashiro had to face this when his opponent Seiji passed after the injuries in their bout.
"Maestrito" Cordobas opponent Carlos Meza passed after their bout.

I also remember Montiel had an opponent passing.

More recent Lito Sisnorio who was fighting opponents like PongsaShit & Sasakul world rated fighters taking on a kid who was something like 12-5-3 (dont remember the record but it was similar)

**marbleheadmaui** · 05-29-2011 12:53 AM

It's an awful price.

The risk today likely has little to do with fight length or timing of weigh-ins etc. It just seems inherent in the sport.

**IamInuit** · 05-29-2011 01:06 AM

Originally Posted by CutMeMick

I have the Pintor-Owen fight but can't bring myself to see it...
Same thing with the Collins-Resto fight...

John Burns is believe to be the only fighter to have killed a man due to injuries and in turn himself die from injuries...

Also Jimmy Garcia passed from his bout vs. Ruelas.
Sam McVea apparently while sparring injured his partner who died in the hospital days later.
Same with "Ruby" Fitzsimmons while sparring he injureda boxer who died and also during a fight.
Levander passed after the Jesus Chavez fight.
A young former champ Nobuo Nashiro had to face this when his opponent Seiji passed after the injuries in their bout.
"Maestrito" Cordobas opponent Carlos Meza passed after their bout.

I also remember Montiel had an opponent passing.

More recent Lito Sisnorio who was fighting opponents like PongsaShit & Sasakul world rated fighters taking on a kid who was something like 12-5-3 (dont remember the record but it was similar)

You and me both.

**Mars_ax** · 05-29-2011 03:03 AM

Yup, lots of ring deaths, and that doesn't take into account all the pugs who end up with brain damage, et al.
Seeing a fighter beat into a coma is so sad, I watched the Benny "Kid" Paret vs Emile Griffith fight live on TV in 1962, and I still remember it to this day.

Johnny Owen's death was particularly heartbreaking, the guy seemed so frail, he shouldn't even have been allowed to fight.

**Spicoli** · 05-29-2011 03:34 AM

Robert wangila and Gonzalez was just terrible stuff. The man just never panned out after Olympics, he just had too much heart for his own good.

There are no 'bums' and 'cowards' that enter the ring.

**marbleheadmaui** · 05-29-2011 03:55 AM

Originally Posted by Spicoli

Robert wangila and Gonzalez was just terrible stuff. The man just never panned out after Olympics, he just had too much heart for his own good.

There are no 'bums' and 'cowards' that enter the ring.

Hear! Hear!

**fan johnny** · 05-29-2011 06:04 AM

I was curious and did a quick google for deaths in sports. I couldn't find the odds of dying in a boxing match.

The ten most DANGEROUS sports in the world!

10. RUGBY: Possibly the most brutal contact sport on the planet. These boys put NFL stars to shame by being just as vicious in their tackling but without any of the protection. Given that fact, it's hardly surprising that rugby has more injuries per player than any other participation sport. In fact, they're three times more likely to get injured than someone in martial arts. Torn muscles, concussion, broken bones - these boys don't stop unless they can't physically continue.

9. CAVE DIVING: Being a diver is bad enough, what with the risk of decompression, which can cause failure of the spinal cord, brain and lungs. But diving in caves takes things to a whole other level. At depths of 100 feet in a pitch-black cave it's incredibly easy to lose your bearings, have problems with your air supply - or even be eaten by some big, vicious creature. According to the Texas-based San Marcos Area Recovery Team, more than 500 people have died since 1960 while cave diving in Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean alone.

8. CHEERLEADING: In the US alone, there were more than 20,000 reported injuries last year alone, making cheerleading the world's most injury-prone sport in the world for women. In fact, the girls on the sidelines are more at risk of hurting themselves than the guys on the football field. Broken legs and spinal injuries are not uncommon. Don't tell these hardcore girls that cheerleading isn't a sport - they'll eat you for breakfast.

7. MOTORCYCLING: The most dangerous motor race in the world is, without doubt, the Isle of Man TT event. In its 100-year history, this one race has seen more than 220 deaths. The race mainly involves trying not to die by falling off your bike and ploughing headfirst into a tree at ridiculously high speeds.

6. FISHING: The sedate pastime of angling has one of the highest mortality rates of any sport due to the number of people who drown every year. Rock fishing - which involves casting a line into the ocean from the shoreline - is also notoriously dangerous, with people often losing their lives when they are dragged under by huge unexpected waves. In Australia alone, 15 people died while rock fishing in 2001. Plus, which other sport's competitors routinely take part in what is, to all intents and purposes, mass murder? Fish have feelings too, you know...

5. ROCK CLIMBING: According to Accidents In North American Mountaineering, the year 2000 saw 24 deaths in the US due to rock climbing mishaps. As well as getting up to wherever it is you want to go, you've got to be able to get back down, which is what makes this such a dangerous sport - it's not too easy to get medical help when you're 1,000 feet up and there's nowhere to land a chopper. Bad weather can prove extremely hazardous, quickly causing frostbite or hypothermia. In the insurance world, rock climbing is classed as a Category 5 sport. The only things more dangerous are Category 6 sports, which include naked knife fighting and blind archery.

4. GOLF: It may be just below boxing and ice hockey in the brutality stakes, but golf is right up there in the death stakes. Some figures suggest more than 4,000 of us take our last breath on the fairway every year. It's also a killing field when it comes to bad weather, with five per cent of all lightning-related deaths taking place on the golf course.

3. HORSE RIDING: A recent survey on the number of fatalities per 100,000 participants in the US put riding a horse - including eventing, racing and show jumping - at the top of the list with a whopping 128. And that's without taking into account all the horses that perished too. Compare this number to the seemingly much more dangerous sport of boxing - which has just 1.3 deaths per 100,000 - and it puts into perspective quite how dangerous getting your leg over a horse can be.

2. BASE JUMPING: Dangerous for the simple fact that it's all or nothing - if your parachute opens you'll be fine, if it doesn't you're looking at certain death. A comprehensive study has revealed that since the first BASE jump around 30 years ago, 175 people have been killed. Anyone taking part in this sport is basically betting their life on whether a chute opens properly or not. Think I'll stick to lawn bowls, thank you very much!

1. LAWN BOWLS: Forget those UFC pussies, lawn bowls is for REAL men (and women!). Going off the number of deaths per player, it is the world's most dangerous sport, killing literally thousands worldwide every year. Its hardcore competitors will stop at nothing in pursuit of victory. If you're one of the lucky ones that escapes death, there are thousands more who end up with dislocated ankles, broken hips, torn knees or who simply keel over with a heart attack or a stroke due to the incredibly stressful nature of the game. Either that or it's down to most of the competitors being over 85 and lugging great big balls around.

**IamInuit** · 05-29-2011 06:10 AM

Originally Posted by Spicoli

Robert wangila and Gonzalez was just terrible stuff. The man just never panned out after Olympics, he just had too much heart for his own good.

There are no 'bums' and 'cowards' that enter the ring.

Cheers.

**Master** · 05-30-2011 09:35 PM