It was a knockout loss that cost Patrick Day’s life. The junior middleweight boxer was knocked out in the ring by 2016 U.S. Olympian Charles Conwell, 21, during the 10th round of their match at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago on Saturday, Oct. 12 — Patrick’s head hit the canvas, and the referee immediately stopped the fight. But the boxer, just 27 years old, had a seizure, went into a coma and underwent an emergency brain surgery, TMZ reported. On Oct. 16, 2019, Patrick sadly succumbed to “the traumatic brain injury” sustained from the match, his promoter, Lou Dibella, announced in a statement that he issued to HollywoodLife — you can read the full message, here.
“He was surrounded by his family, close friends and members of his boxing team, including his mentor, friend and trainer Joe Higgins,” Patrick’s promoter added in the statement. Patrick’s competitor, Charles, was grief-stricken over the fight, never intending to cause such a serious injury. Two days before Patrick’s death, Charles issued a statement on Instagram which partly read, “If I could take it all back I would no one deserves for this to happen to them. I replay the fight over and over in my head thinking what if this never happened and why did it happen to you. I can’t stop thinking about it myself I prayed for you so many times and shedded so many tears because I couldn’t even imagine how my family and friends would feel.”
Here’s what else you should know about Patrick, who will be missed dearly in the boxing community.
1. Following a successful career as an amateur boxer, Patrick turned pro in 2013. In the span of just one year (throughout 2012), Patrick locked down two Nationals titles, won the New York Golden Gloves tournament and became a U.S. Olympic Team alternate. After going pro the following year, Patrick won the WBC Continental Americas championship in 2017 and the IBF Intercontinental championship in 2019. By June of 2019, he was “rated in the top-10 by both the WBC [World Boxing Council] and IBF [International Boxing Federation],” his promoter wrote.
2. Patrick logged in 17 wins out of 22 total bouts. That means the boxer has won more than 70 percent of his fights since turning pro in 2013.
3. Patrick holds a Bachelor’s degree in Health and Wellness. He earned the degree from Kaplan University, after obtaining an Associate’s degree in Food and Nutrition from Nassau Community College.
#champpatrickday pic.twitter.com/S5MO43552C
— Charles Conwell (@CharlesConwell) October 15, 2019
4. Lou said Patrick “didn’t need to box.” Some choose to box as a means to survive, but it was just Patrick’s passion. “Patrick Day didn’t need to box. He came from a good family, he was smart, educated, had good values and had other avenues available to him to earn a living,” his promoter, Lou, wrote in the statement announcing the boxer’s death. He added, “Boxing is what Pat loved to do. It’s how he inspired people and it was something that made him feel alive.”
5. Patrick hails from Freeport, Long Island. Patrick’s hometown was a small seaside village in New York. His promoter described him as “a beacon of light and the star pupil” in the village’s gym, Freeport PAL, where he trained throughout his boxing career.