His first loss proved to be fatal. Australian boxer Braydon Smith died on Monday, two days after he lost to a Filipino opponent in Queensland.
Smith, 23, had been in induced coma following his loss via unanimous decision to John Vincent Moralde in Saturday’s WBC Asian Boxing Council Continental featherweight championship at the Rumours International in Toowoomba.
After the 10-round fight, Smith praised and congratulated Moralde for the win. They even posed for photographs. But 90 minutes later, he collapsed inside his dressing room and was rushed to the hospital.
“He really wanted to change the image of boxing,” Australian Associated Press quoted a family representative as saying.
“A lot of times in this country the sport gets a bad rap. A big goal of his life was to show people it’s not (a bad sport).”
Unbeaten in 12 bouts prior to his defeat to the Filipino, Smith was in the final year of a law studies at the University of Southern Queensland. His father, Brendon, is a renowned boxing trainer and promoter.
Moralde, already back in the Philippines, has offered prayers to Smith’s family, who was nicknamed ‘The Great White’.
The head of the Philippines Games and Amusements Board expressed sadness over Smith’s death.
“It’s another sad day in boxing. It’s really unfortunate that accidents like this happen in boxing,” Ramon Guanzon told The Philippine Star.
“It’s really unfortunate that accidents like this happen inside the ring. This is the reason why the orientation of boxing referees is to stop the fight too early than too late.”
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