Professional boxer Patrick Day died Wednesday, four days after suffering a traumatic brain injury in a fight vs. Charles Conwell in Chicago. He was 27.
Day’s management company, DiBella Entertainment, announced that the fighter succumbed to the injury while surrounded by family and friends.
“Boxing is what Pat loved to do. It’s how he inspired people and it was something that made him feel alive,” DiBella Entertainment said in a statement.
MORE: Notable sports deaths of 2019
Day was knocked unconscious by a left hook from Conwell that ended their USBA super welterweight championship bout in the 10th round at Wintrust Arena. Medical personnel rushed into the ring to tend to him. Day suffered a seizure as he was being wheeled into an ambulance that would transport him to Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Once at the hospital, Day underwent emergency surgery to reduce swelling in his brain. He was then placed in a medically induced coma.
Day was a decorated amateur fighter who earned a spot as an alternate on the 2012 U.S. Olympic boxing team. The native of Freeport, N.Y., entered the professional ranks in 2013 and compiled a 17-4-1 record with six knockouts. He was challenging Conwell for the USBA title.
“In his hometown of Freeport, Long Island, he was a beacon of light and the star pupil at the Freeport PAL, the gym he trained in from the moment he began boxing until the last bout of his career. He was recognized as one of Long Island’s finest professional fighters for years. He was a fixture in the boxing community throughout New York City,” DiBella Entertainment said in its statement.
Conwell addressed Day in a tweet Monday.
“I never meant for this to happen to you,” Conwell wrote. “All I ever wanted was to win. If I could take it all back I would. No one deserves for this to happen to them.”