Patrick Day Dies Aged 27 After Spending The Last Four Days In A Coma Following A Boxing Match

The American was knocked out in the 10th round of the fight and received treatment in the ring before being stretchered out of Chicago’s Wintrust Arena by paramedics. He was then rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he was placed into a coma and remained in an extremely critical condition over the next few days.

Day was fighting on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk’s heavyweight win over Chazz Witherspoon. Promoter Lou DiBella confirmed the news that Day had passed away on Wednesday ‘surrounded by his family, close friends and members of his boxing team, including his mentor, friend and trainer Joe Higgins’.

‘On behalf of Patrick’s family, team, and those closest to him, we are grateful for the prayers, expressions of support and outpouring of love for Pat that have been so obvious since his injury,’ DiBella said in a statement. ‘Patrick Day didn’t need to box. He came from a good family, he was smart, educated, had good values and had other avenues available to him to earn a living. He chose to box, knowing the inherent risks that every fighter faces when he or she walks into a boxing ring. Boxing is what Pat loved to do.

‘It becomes very difficult to explain away or justify the dangers of boxing at a time like this. This is not a time where edicts or pronouncements are appropriate, or the answers are readily available. ‘It is, however, a time for a call to action. While we don’t have the answers, we certainly know many of the questions, have the means to answer them, and have the opportunity to respond responsibly and accordingly and make boxing safer for all who participate. ‘This is a way we can honour the legacy of Pat Day.’

On Tuesday, Conwell penned an emotional letter to Day in which he admitted he ‘thought about quitting boxing’ in the days following the fight. ‘I never meant this to happen to you, all I wanted to do was win,’ he said. ‘If I could take it all back, I would. No-one deserves this to happen to them. ‘I replay the fight over and over in my head thinking what if this never happened and why did it happen to you.

‘I can’t stop thinking about it myself. I prayed for you so many times and shed so many tears because I couldn’t even imagine how my family and friends would feel. ‘I see you everywhere you go and all I hear is wonderful things about you. I thought about quitting boxing but I know that’s not what you would want. ‘I know that you were a fighter at heart so I decided not to, and to fight and win a world title because that’s what you wanted and that’s what I want, so I will use you as motivation every day and make sure I leave it all in the ring every time.’