Oscar Gonzalez was hospitalized after a 10th-round knockout at the hands of Jesus Galicia on Saturday night, Feb. 1, and a few days later, he was pronounced dead at the age of 23.
ESPN's Dan Rafael provides the tragic news:
Mexican featherweight Oscar Gonzalez, who suffered a brain injury during a 10th-round knockout loss to Jesus Galicia on Saturday night at the Foro Polanco in Mexico City, died on Monday afternoon as a result of his injuries. He was 23.
"These things happen in boxing and nobody expects them to happen in the ring," Jose "Chepo" Reynoso of Canelo Promotions, which put on the card, told ESPN.com in a statement translated into English. "Even though we weren't there at the fight we know Oscar did receive the best treatment at the hospital before and after his death. Our lawyer, Anuar Alvarado, took care of the situation and we know we did our best on his behalf."
Gonzalez was in intensive care at the Hospital Espanol in Mexico City on life support for 36 hours before being removed due to no brain activity, according to Rafael.
According to BoxingScene.com's Miguel Rivera, the bout between Gonzalez and Galicia was a fast-paced, highly physical fight. Fighting for the WBC silver featherweight title in Mexico City, Gonzalez scored a knockdown in the first round but began to slow down in the subsequent rounds, as the fighters continued to trade blows.
He was knocked out in the 10th round after a powerful combination from Galicia, and the medical staff tended to him before transporting him out of the arena on a stretcher and to a hospital, where he was pronounced brain dead, per BoxingScene.com's Jake Donovan.
Gonzalez was 23-3 with 14 knockouts and had won three consecutive fights before Saturday night, where his loss was considered an upset.
This is an unfortunate reminder of the potential dangers of boxing, a sport that can be more brutal and unforgiving than any other.
There have been several deaths as a result of action inside the boxing ring over the past decade. In 2011, 27-year-old Roman Simakov died after he collapsed in the seventh round of a match. Benjamin Flores, Francisco Rodriguez, Leavander Johnson, Pedro Alcazar and Yo-Sam Choi are some other notable boxers who have also passed away since the turn of the century.
Gonzalez was a tremendous talent, and this is extremely heartbreaking news.
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