It is difficult to count the number of blows to the head that boxers face in their career. In many cases, this leads to irreversible consequences for the brain. Suffice it to recall the story of Mohammed Ali, who, after completing his performances in the ring, could not even walk normally due to Parkinson’s disease.

Most of these situations in boxing happen after a long career. But the real shock was caused by the recent tragedy that happened to a promising athlete in the prime of life.

The judge even had to stop the fight due to the inappropriate behavior of the boxer, who was a few moments away from victory.

Thriller in the final round

Surely it’s a shame to realize that your career, which was one step away from a big breakthrough, stops due to an unknown ailment, the cause of which even doctors in a specialized clinic cannot establish. It was precisely such a misfortune that happened to the South African boxer Simizo Buthelezi, who had his fifth fight in the professional ring.

As part of a 10-round fight for the WBF Africa champion title, Buthelezi met with his compatriot Sifesikhle Mntungwa (7-1-2). The advantage in the class allowed Simizo to count on victory in this confrontation. After nine rounds, it did. According to the judges’ cards, the undefeated Buthelezi was confidently in the lead and could easily take the championship belt in three minutes.

His position was strengthened in the eyes of the judges after he literally rammed his opponent with powerful blows between the ropes. The opponent barely managed to stay in the ring, almost collapsing into the audience hall. But the judge did not open the score, believing that there was no knockdown. Most boxers have already had the idea of ​​​​a close victory, but not in Simizo’s head.

“Shadowboxing” in an empty corner

His opponent got up without any problems and was soon ready to box again. The referee brought the boxers in the center of the ring and even gave the go-ahead to continue the fight, but then the unexpected happened. Buthelesi went straight for the referee with a hazy look, intending to attack him. The referee noticed the athlete’s abnormal behavior in time and dodged the boxer’s blow.

Initially, it seemed that it was the referee in the ring that was the main goal of Simizo, but this was not the case. The boxer continued to move to an empty corner and began to beat him, although there was no one in it. The referee, seeing what was happening, quickly got his bearings and stopped the fight.

After the fight was stopped, doctors rushed to the boxer to help. Buthelezi was taken to a local hospital, where he suddenly fell into a coma. Doctors stabilized Simizo’s condition. Now his life is not in danger, but he is under medical supervision. The doctors could not immediately determine the cause of the incident. According to press reports, the final diagnosis of the boxer will be known in the coming days.

Unfortunately, this tragedy ended Buthelezi’s winning streak in the professional ring. Victory by technical knockout was given to his opponent.