After falling during his match against Mfundo Gwayana for the South African junior flyweight title on Friday, 22-year old Samorha Msophi was pronounced dead on Monday morning at Mdantsane’s Cecilia Makiwane Hospital. The young boxer was immediately taken to the hospital after being knocked-out during the fourth round, after he took such a beating that allegedly even the audience were shouting for the match to stop. He remained in a coma from Friday until the weekend and was put on ventilators to help him breathe. He underwent surgery early Saturday morning to relieve the pressure on his brain but finally succumbed to his injuries on Monday.
In a statement, Boxing SA director of operations expressed his sadness over the tragedy, saying “Our condolences go out to his family and the boxing fraternity at large.”
He also appealed to the general public to stop looking for someone to blame for the young boxer’s death, after speculations that the fight was supposed to have been terminated earlier when it was clear that Msophi was getting a frightening beating from his opponent.
Msophi’s mentor Siphatho Handi could not contain his tears as he expressed his shock and sadness at Msophi’s death, saying, “This boy was like a son to me. He was not only training in my club but our families were also close. We had high hopes for him.”
Msophi’s last fight was only his second defeat after ten bouts.
