TANZANIAN professional boxer Hassan Mgaya was pronounced dead at the age of 29, just three days after his knockout defeat on December 27.
The lightweight received medical attention shortly after collapsing to the canvas, before undergoing further treatment at two different hospitals.
While further details on the bout are yet to emerge, it is understood that Mgaya suffered a series of heavy blows before getting halted by countryman Paul Elias.
It has been reported by a local media outlet, too, that the African combatant had bit his tongue – causing it to sink into his throat – after getting dropped by Elias.
And with his injuries ultimately proving to be fatal, Mgaya was forced to spend his final few moments at Mwananyamala Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, after being transferred from Palestine Hospital in Sinza.
In response to the tragedy, the World Boxing Council has released a statement, expressing its support to those who were closest to the much loved boxer.
“The entire WBC family and President Mauricio Sulaiman send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of our beloved champion,” the statement reads on its website.
The contest took place in Tanzania, where Mgaya had amassed a professional record of 3-3-2, coming up against fellow Tanzanians in all eight of his outings.
News of his passing arrived just a few days after the death of Paul Bamba, a widely supported Puerto Rican fighter who sadly died at the age of 35.
Along with the WBC, the Tanzania Boxing Commission’s acting secretary, Nsajigwa Mwangamilo, paid tribute to Mgaya.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the family and boxing stakeholders in the country,” Mwangamilo said in a statement.
