Mexican boxer Jeanette Zacarias Zapata, 18, dies 5 days after she was knocked out in fight
An 18-year-old Mexican boxer died Thursday, five days after she was knocked out and injured in a Montreal ring. Groupe Yvon Michel, the organizer of the boxing event, said Thursday that Jeanette Zacarias Zapata died from injuries sustained in a bout with Marie-Pier Houle on Saturday night at IGA stadium.
"It is with great sadness and torment that we learned, from a representative of her family, that Jeanette Zacarias passed away this afternoon at 3:45 p.m.," the organizer's statement read. "We would like to offer our most sincere condolences to her family, loved ones, friends and especially her husband Jovanni Martinez who was at her bedside until her last moments."
Zapata suffered a series of power punches in the corner of the ring and, after a solid uppercut, the Mexican seemed stunned near the end of the fourth round. A final right hook caused Zapata's mouthguard to fly out and left her unable to return to her corner after the bell rang.
Zapata, who appeared to convulse while still standing, was joined by her partner and trainer Jovanni Martinez, who quickly laid her down in the ring. The on-site medical team rushed to her side and she was immobilized on a stretcher before being rushed to a hospital by ambulance.
Yvon Michel, president of Groupe Yvon Michel, said in a briefing Sunday that Zapata was placed in a medically induced coma to sedate her and relax her body and brain, adding that the following two to five days would be "critical."
Zapata underwent neurological exams to get permission to fight in Montreal because she was knocked out in a bout last May in Mexico, according to the CBC.
