Roman Simakov dies after being injured in a fight

[Charles Martel]

R.I.P. brave Russian ring warrior.

http://en.ria.ru/sports/20111208/169480794.html

Russian light heavyweight boxer Roman Simakov, who collapsed in the ring on Monday night during a title defense, died overnight of brain injuries in a Yekaterinburg hospital, an official said Thursday.

Simakov collapsed a minute into the seventh round after enduring a torrent of clubbing rights and lefts from compatriot Sergei Kovalev, falling immediately into a coma from which he never emerged, said Igor Maruzov, the general secretary of the Russian Boxing Federation.

There did not appear to be a single blow that floored Simakov, 27, who seemed to lose balance and coordination in the seconds before he fell. He was dragged out of the ring on a makeshift orange stretcher apparently unconscious.

Maruzov refused to be drawn on whether anyone would be held accountable over the death, but said a probe had begun.

“I can only comment on the situation after the official investigation, which will evaluate the actions of the referee and the medical treatment the athlete received later,” Mazurov said.

Simakov, with a career record of 19 victories, one defeat and one tie, was defending his WBC Asian Boxing Council belt against the American-based Kovalev (16-0, 1).

Here's the fight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4bO2-z_jAg&feature=player_embedded

Boxingscene article here:

http://www.boxingscene.com/roman-simakov-passes-away-tragic-knockout-loss--47006

 

[werewolf]

Terrible tragic news.

 

[Frenchnative]

I watched the fight yesterday and wondered what had had him to be held on a stretcher after the fight.
Terrible news.

 

[white is right]

I suspect he entered the fight with a pre-existing medical condition. If this fight was in Nevada he probably would have failed the physical in a similar fashion that Joe Mesi did. There was no evidence that the referee or his corner should have pulled him out before the stoppage. This shows that all fighters even the journeyman 10-30 types need to be shown respect by the fans as this sport is among the most dangerous in the world.....RIP:rip:

 

[Colonel_Reb]

I hate to hear about this. Sadly, that is the risk you take when you engage in sports like that. My prayers are with his family.

 

[Charles Martel]

Simakov was a potential light heavyweight contender. Here he is breaking down a strong negro from Ghana:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnVaZBEx9nE&feature=player_embedded

 

[space hillbilly]

I always think of things like this when I hear fans saying a fight was stopped too soon or he could of went on.As a kid I remember an old negro at a barber shop saying the Cooney vs Norton was stopped too fast![video]www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Fb0Qidm9Fg[/video]

 

[Westside]

RIP Roman. At least you died doing something that u loved. most people can not say that. Most people live their bitter lives due to lack of ambition or cowardice. Roman u lived a life of a warrior! Hopefully the afterlife will be great. Cheers mate!

 

[BoxingSpecialist2]

This is very sad and unfortunate, and it makes me feel bad to read about this. As a boxing fan, this is one part of boxing I truly dislike, is to see anybody get permanently injured or worse killed in the ring.

In a combat sport, these are some of the risks involved and sadly, these risks were realized with Roman Simakov.

RIP to a Brave, Strong Man. This is terrible news.

 

[waterbed]

very sad. I think he got some underside back of the head punches at around 24.5 minutes of the video can see it all from this angle, in the area that you need to know how to breath,which can me differnce between brain injury for knock out or coma.

 

[werewolf]

Sergey Kovalev: " Forgive me Roman "

By Alexey Sukachev and Vringe.Com This past Monday, two highly regarded Russian light heavyweights collided in an important cross-roader in Ekaterinburg under GT&KP Promotions. One of them, undefeated America-based puncher Sergey Kovalev (17-0-1, 15 KOs) escaped a brutal affair relatively unmarked – at least visibly – with a minor belt around his waist and his unbeaten record intact. The other boxer, Roman Simakov, paid a much higher price… Simakov, also a fearless slugger but the lesser boxer of the two, lost consciousness immediately after the stoppage (forced by accumulation of punches and not by a single knockout blow). He has never regained it, finally succumbing a few days later to brain injuries sustained in fistic action. Simakov passed away at a tender age of 27; becoming the first Russian boxer to meet his ultimate fate inside the ring. Sergey Kovalev shared his memories and impression of this tragic encounter in his blog at Vringe.com: “Hello to everybody. I want to share some thoughts about my recent fight with Roman Simakov… As you have certainly seen, it started in a measured pace and it was quite even. I’ve got going only in the second round after the mediocre opening. In the midst of the fourth, I injured my left thumb, which I had surgery on four years ago. I decided to fight in more measured pace after that and gave Roman some room for his own activities. After my successful attack in the sixth, when I put Simakov down, I honestly thought he wouldn’t rise to continue fighting but he did. Frankly speaking, I wanted this fight to be stopped because Roman had eaten so much leather to that point plus my own thumb gave me sudden pain with each punch I was throwing. Only when Romka (affectionate diminutive to “Roman” in Russian) moved backwards I landed a left hand to his forearm. I do think it wasn’t a single punch which resulted in the tragedy. It’s clearly seen on screen. Certainly, I was very glad to get this win but I was unaware of Roman’s condition. I thought at that time that he had finally made the right decision not to continue this fight for his own good. When I came to his dressing room, he wasn’t there. He was in the hospital already… He was a Fighter and a Man. May his spirit rest in peace… Meand my manager tried to speak with Roman’s parents but they don’t even want to hear about us. I understand it perfectly as they lost their beloved one. That’s a horrible tragedy. My manager bought them tickets to go from Kemerovo to Ekaterinburg but they were too late. They were too late as they landed in Ekaterinburg just thirty minutes after Roman’s death. If I ever step in the ring again, I will dedicate my next fight to Roman. All of my earnings will be sent to his family. Forgive me, Roman… Rest in Peace, Warrior...”

 

[Mercadier]

R.I.P. brave Russian warrior, indeed!

If it was not for the Eastern Euros, I am afraid that as white men we would still be ashamed to watch boxing!

They came from the East and changed it all!