The evening of boxing attracted great attention of sports fans from all over the country. The fans in the stands and at the TV screens enjoyed the fights, in one of which the fate of the championship belt was decided. From the first rounds, the challenger took possession of the advantage, but the opponent did not want to give up. This led to tragedy.

Roman died without regaining consciousness.

“Roman has strange eyes”

Russian Sergey Kovalev by the beginning of the winter of 2011 scored a good move in professional boxing. For two and a half years, the Crusher managed to hold 17 fights, 16 of which ended in victories and only one ended in a draw. The vast majority of fights took place in the USA and only in one case did the future champion appear in the ring in front of the Russian public.

On December 5, 2011, a native of the Chelyabinsk region Kovalev was scheduled for the second professional fight in Russia. In Yekaterinburg, Sergei had to meet in the ring with compatriot Roman Simakov, who also boasted a good record: 19 wins, one draw and one defeat. A boxer from Kemerovo at that time held the belt of the Asian WBC light heavyweight champion. It was this title that was at stake on that ill-fated evening.

The confrontation between two promising Russian professionals aroused great interest among the public. The fight was broadcast live on a federal channel, and the famous Russian champion Kostya Tszyu appeared at the weigh-in ceremony and called on all Ural boxing fans to attend the fight. Nobody noticed anything suspicious at that moment, only later Kovalev remembered some oddities in the opponent’s appearance.

Roman Simakov / Photo: © RIA Novosti / Alexander Zaitsev

– At the weigh-in procedure, when, standing face to face, we posed for photographers, I noticed that Roman had some strange, slightly shining eyes. Then I thought that the doctors could not allow a sick boxer into the ring. Perhaps, in preparation for the fight, he “dried himself”, drove weight, and this affected his well-being? The body can feel differently when you start preparing for a fight, ”Kovalev was quoted by the Akboxing portal.

“I hope you’re smart enough to stop the fight”

The duel began with reconnaissance: the rivals had never met even as amateurs, and therefore they were in no hurry to give all their best. It was impossible to say for sure who would take advantage. In one of the episodes, Roman hit Sergei in the head – as he admitted later, it even darkened in his eyes. But the Crusher also worked well on the opponent.

From the second round, Kovalev seized the initiative and did not miss it again. Several times Sergey hit the opponent’s body, tested his liver, did a great job at the ropes. The blows of the Crusher became harder and harder, successfully passed the series. Simakov answered, but not so convincingly, and somewhere by the end of the fourth round it became clear that only a miracle would help him rectify the situation. Coach Kovaleva even asked his athlete to be softer with his opponent.

“Those were hooks in the fourth round. I think three. After them, it became obvious that Roman stopped responding adequately. Needless to say, he was completely shocked at that moment. But I noticed that he had impaired coordination of movements and reflexes. Before the fifth round, he said to Kovalev: “Do not box with him at full strength, hit the body, hit the hands.” And after the fifth: “I hope that the people in Simakov’s corner will be smart enough to stop the fight. Their fighter is no longer able to resist, ”Kovalev’s coach Abel Sanchez said in an interview with Sportbox.ru.

Sergey Kovalev and Roman Simakov / Photo: © RIA Novosti / Alexander Zaitsev

Twice Simakov was in standing knockdowns, in the sixth round the referee started the countdown. Roman decided to continue the fight, but his corner did not react to this decision. However, in the seventh round, after a series of not the strongest blows, the champion sat down on the floor, and the judge was forced to stop the fight. The defeated boxer tried to stand up, holding on to the ropes, but his legs would not hold him. The loser had to leave the ring on a stretcher.

“Hold on, Roman!”

Later it became known that even in the ring Simakov fell into a coma. At the hospital, he underwent a craniotomy and a hematoma was removed. All seven hours, while the operation lasted, the hemorrhage in the brain did not stop. Kovalev, having learned what was happening with his opponent, turned to him through social networks, wishing to get out of the most difficult situation as soon as possible.

– I am very worried about this, I feel sorry for him very much. I pray he gets out. On Tuesday evening I returned to Chelyabinsk, and on Wednesday my wife Natalya and I went to church, lit candles and ordered a prayer to the priest for his health. I offer my sincere apologies to Roma’s relatives – I did not want this for him. Hold on Roman! — wrote Kovalev.

Less than 30 minutes after this publication, Simakov died. Kovalev took the death of his opponent very painfully and was not even sure that he would continue his career. However, he still decided not to leave boxing and eventually got to the world titles in several prestigious versions at once. Crusher promised to transfer the fee from the subsequent fight to the family of the deceased, and even after that he repeatedly dedicated sports successes to Roman.