His name was Simiso Buthelezi and he was 24 years old. This young South African boxer died on Tuesday June 7 after suffering a brain injury during a fight for the title of African champion. The video showing him boxing in a vacuum had gone viral in recent days.
The boxer fell into a coma after a fight for the African lightweight champion title. As he was about to beat his opponent Siphesihle Mntungwa in the tenth and final round, the South African, previously hit in the chin, suddenly started throwing punches in the air, as if he was fighting an invisible boxer.
The fight was then immediately stopped by the referee. The latter had tried to make the unfortunate boxer sit in his corner without succeeding. The WBF (World Boxing Association) had also postponed the presentation of the belt to Mntungwa due to the state of health of Buthelezi, who could not be present in the ring.
After the fight, the previously undefeated Buthelezi was taken to hospital. The boxer remained in a coma for two days before passing away. “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Simiso Buthelezi, who died last night, June 7, 2022, at the hospital in Durban, write Boxing South Africa and the boxer’s family in a joint press release. Boxing South Africa will carry out an independent medical examination of the injury and will then make the results of this medical examination public. »