The Tragic Death of Russian Boxer Maxim Dadashev
Maxim Dadashev was on the right path in July 2019.
A successful professional boxer, Dadashev looked to join Khabib Nurmagomedov as impactful Russian athletes making their presence known in the United States.
One of the world’s rising boxers, Dadahshev tragically died after a match last year. His sudden death left a tremendous impact on the sport’s community.
Maxim Dadashev was a successful Russian boxer
Maxim Dadashev was born in the area known as Saint Petersburg in September 1990, roughly 15 months before the Soviet Union fell. At the time, that area was known as Leningrad.
Dadashev got into boxing at a young age and took home a silver medal at the 2008 Youth World Championships.
After more success in Russia, Dadashev fought in his first United States bout in April 2016. Dadashev, 25 at the time, took down Darin Hampton in the first round of a fight at the Oceanview Pavilion in California.
Dadashev started his professional career a perfect 13-0, with 11 of those victories coming by way of knockout. His final triumph, a four-round knockout against Ricky Sismundo, came in March 2019.
Dadashev tragically died in July 2019
Maxim Dadashev entered the ring against Subriel Matías on July 19, 2019, hoping to move to 14-0.
Dadashev and Matías matched blow for blow that night in a fight at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. But right before the 12th round began, Dadashev’s trainer, Buddy McGirt, threw in the towel.
Dadashev needed assistance leaving the ring, and eventually left on a stretcher.
Paramedics brought Dadashev to a nearby hospital. According to ESPN, Dadashev underwent surgery that night because of brain swelling.
Dadashev remained in the hospital for a few days. The junior welterweight died four days later as a result of brain injuries.
Maxim Dadashev left a major impact on the boxing community
Maxim Dadashev’s death left a sudden blow — and a major impact — on his family and the boxing community.
Dadashev’s trainer, Buddy McGirt, reflected on how shocking his friend’s death was during an interview with ESPN.
“It just makes you realize what type of sport we’re in, man. He did everything right in training — no problems, no nothing. My mind is, like, really running crazy right now. Like, what could I have done differently? But at the end of the day, everything was fine [in training]. He seemed OK. He was ready. But it’s the sport that we’re in. It just takes one punch, man.”
McGirt called Dadashev a “trainer’s dream.”
Dadashev’s widow, Elizaveta Apushkina, arrived in the United States from Russia the night before Dadashev died. In a statement, she remembered her husband as a “very kind person who fought until the very end.”
The two had a young child who was 2 years old when his father died. The son, Daniel, is now four.
“Our son will continue [to] be raised to be a great man like his father,” Apushkina said.
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