Tragic fight for a boxer from South Africa

On June 5, South African boxer Simiso Buthelezi fought for the WBF lightweight title against Sifesihle Mntungwa. Unfortunately, Buthelezi was dictated to fight, and in the 10-th round, he almost knocked out his opponent – he almost went over the ropes.

Buthelezi led on the judges’ notes and looked like he would end the fight by knockout. But Mntungwa got up, and Buthelezi turned the other corner instead of finishing his opponent. He went to the referee and started throwing punches into the void, which looked wild. The referee stopped the fight and awarded Buthelezi the defeat, and the shocking footage went viral on social media. Note that real money gambling has a boxing theme game. Virtual sport is safer than real one.

What happened to the boxer? After the fight, he fell into a coma and died three days later – no one understands what caused the tragedy.

The footage showed that Buthelezi did not know where he was, and the referee took him for an opponent. When the referee stepped back, the boxer started throwing punches. The referee realized that something was amiss and immediately stopped the fight. But the official announcement of the result was delayed because everyone was curious about what happened to the young boxer’s health.

It seemed that Buthelezi had suffered a head injury, which was the reason for his strange behavior. But in the fight, he didn’t miss many punches; he was utterly dominant and went for the win. Ring announcer Sipho Mashego said that Buthelezi was in complete control of the fight, and the boxer’s strange behavior shocked the audience.

“Simiso dictated the terms and controlled the fight from the first round. He didn’t miss any heavy punches from his opponent. It was the last round with 14 seconds to go, and his opponent fell out of the ring. Then Buthelezi started swinging his arms wildly, and no one understood what was happening. It was strange,” Mashego confessed.

Coach’s commentary

The boxer’s coach, Bheki Mngomezulu, was also confused. After all, he didn’t understand what had happened:

“There was nothing wrong in the fight or in training. He was fighting on points before this unpleasant incident happened. Honestly, I can’t explain what happened. It was discouraging, but there was nothing unusual about his preparation for the fight. He was in good condition before the fight.”

Shocking footage of the fight went viral on social media. Fans called it a scary reminder of what boxers risk when they enter the ring.

On June 8, it was reported that Buthelezi died due to a brain hemorrhage.

Buthelezi was 24 years old: he started his career in 2019 and had four consecutive wins. Unfortunately, the fifth fight was the last for the African, and we will never know what potential he had. Shortly before his death, the boxer graduated with a degree in botany and zoology.

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There was a similar case in MMA with Michael Chandler.

It’s no secret that many boxers suffer from brain disease after their careers. It is provoked by the many blows they miss not only in the fight but also in training. These regular micro concussions trigger processes in the brain that lead to terrible consequences. The most famous example is Mohammed Ali, who had Parkinson’s disease for much of his life.

Ali was a fast boxer who fluttered around in the ring and defended himself well. But he fought some real heavyweight monsters, and every hit they took left damage that unfortunately piled up. Ali ended his career in 1981 with 61 fights, and three years later, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. However, the excellent treatment helped Ali keep his mind, and for more than 30 years, he fought the disease and was engaged in charity work.

Many legends of the past, on whom modern fighters grew up, became disabled.

• Suffice it to recall Gary Goodridge, that defeated Fedor, who now has dementia, is thinking about suicide.
• Modern fighters understand the risks, so they try to miss more minor – at least in training. However, bloody fights appeal to the viewer, so chopping is not uncommon in MMA. In 2016 an unknown Portuguese fighter Joao Carvalho collapsed right in front of McGregor – a friend of the Irishman was fighting him. Subsequently, the fighter died, which nearly prompted Conor to give up MMA.
• On the other hand, Michael Chandler, who recently in UFC knocked out Tony Ferguson spectacularly, once almost became the victim of a tragedy himself – but luckily, he survived.

In 2014, Chandler fought in Bellator against Will Brooks. It was a rematch: Brooks won the first fight, so Michael was primed for a chop from the first round. Instead, the American conflicts spectacularly go into exchanges and put his body under stress. Many talk about Chandler’s poor stamina, but it’s not just his stamina that’s the problem; it’s the fighter’s style. Michael doesn’t seem to be able to fight in energy-saving mode, and from the start, he’s chopping, getting into power fights, and quickly wearing himself down.

Chandler got tired again in the fourth round of the rematch with Brooks but had a relatively competitive fight. But then a strange thing happened – and it was very reminiscent of what happened in the African fight.

During a clinch with his opponent, Michael lost his balance and hit his head lightly on the flooring before missing another glancing blow from Brooks. They weren’t the hardest hits, though they might have hit his temple. But Chandler was conscious and on his feet when he suddenly began waving his arms, urging the referee to stop the fight. Chandler didn’t seem to see the ref or Brooks at this point and had little understanding of what was happening to him. Nevertheless, the referee did not accept the surrender, allowing Brooks to throw a few punches and only then stop the fight.

Many still call it the strangest stoppage in MMA history. After all, Chandler didn’t pass out, and he didn’t even miss heavy punches before the stoppage (although a hit to the temple probably did). Michael was disoriented in space but still conscious. He asked the ref to stop the fight and hid from Brooks’ punches. But when the ref approached Michael, the fighter asked: “What happened?” And it’s telling that he didn’t even realize what had happened to him.

After the fight, Chandler didn’t remember anything, and we never found out what happened. Michael is fine and has continued his career, but he called what happened scary himself.

 

(P.S: This post is not written by Imphal Times)