Boxer Dies After Head Blows Caused His Brain To Swell And Bleed

Boxing is one of those sports that makes my heart miss a bit whenever it is on and this story just further confirms that my goose bumps are not without a reason....

Scottish prizefighter Mike Towell has died from injuries sustained in the ring, his manager says. The 25-year-old boxer was carried out by stretcher after going five rounds with Welsh fighter Dale Evans in Glasgow.

The Scottish boxer died early Saturday after suffering severe bleeding and swelling to his brain during a televised Friday night fight at a Glasgow hotel. His St Andrews Sporting Club tweeted the tragic news early Saturday.

Towell was knocked down twice in the fight before referee Victor Loughlin stopped the bout in the fifth round. He had been undefeated prior to the fight, a British welterweight title eliminator, with 11 wins and one draw on his professional record.

His opponent has yet to comment on Towell's death but described the figher as a "true warrior" in a statement issued after he was taken to the hospital.

"The ingredients were there for an entertaining fight and it was that, we are both punchers and so sadly for Mike he came out the wrong side," Evans said. "I never wanted to see my opponent being stretchered out of the ring. Who would ever want that sight? That was so hard for his family and my heart goes out to them."

Towell's partner Chloe Ross - and mother of his child - suggested that Towell may have been suffering from a previously undiagnosed injury. "Michael had severe bleeding and swelling to his brain. He had been complaining of headaches for the last few weeks but we put it down to migraines with the stress of his fight," she wrote on Facebook. "It has been the longest 24 hours of our lives. My baby has lost his daddy. But he will be so, so proud of his dad in what he achieved."

Loughlin, the fight's referee, had also been in charge of the British middleweight title fight in March between Chris Eubank Jnr. and Nick Blackwell, which ended Blackwell's career after he suffered cranial bleeding before the fight was stopped at 10 rounds.

jar/rc (AP, dpa, AFP)

culled m.dw.com