*Authorities mum, awaits post-mortem result
Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba
A boxer representing Imo State at the ongoing 21st National Sports Festival, Delta 2022, has reportedly died after slumping to a devastating knockout defeat in an amateur bout held at Asaba.
However, no official statement was made available to the hordes of journalists covering the tournament on Tuesday.
A member of the the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) who would not want to be quoted said that it would be premature to speculate on the ‘real cause of death of the young man’ before the medical team come up with their post-mortem findings.
Nevertheless, the boxer was said to have received a hard punch to his chin, forcing the referee to step in and call the encounter to a halt when it became clear that the Imo State boxer could not recover in time to continue the fight.
THISDAY learnt that after receiving initial medical attention at the State Events Centre on Okpanam Road, the victim was subsequently rushed to the hospital where he was later confirmed dead.
Meanwhile, activities at the various centres continued unhindered on Tuesday despite the tragic news concerning the boxer whose identify was yet to be made public at the time of filing this report.
