The World Boxing Association revealed that Venezuelan boxer Yeison Cohen has passed away.
Cohen was in intensive care for 15 days after a fight on March 2nd in Barranquilla.
For this reason, the WBA has demanded greater control from the local commissions, especially the one in Colombia, when it comes to approving the fights in order to avoid this type of outcome.
Although the WBA did not sanction this contest, they stepped up to cover all of the medical costs for Cohen.
Gilberto Jesus Mendoza, President of the WBA, said - "There is no insurance or money that is above a life. However, these are things that promoters must comply with, as it is their responsibility. This has been fulfilled and the family has been supported”.
Cohen, 28, collapsed at the end of the seventh round during a featherweight contest against Hugo Berrio.
Cohen's trainer refused to let the Venezuelan fighter enter the ring for the eighth round after noticing something untoward.
Crowds gathered around Cohen's body in the ring, with a member of his team trying to keep him cool by fanning him with a towel.
The referee declared Berrio the winner but the attention quickly turned to his opponent who lay on the floor unconscious.
Cohen was rushed to the nearby General Clinic of the North hospital in a taxi with his trainer Eddie Pacheco.
Pacheco said: "I went to look for a taxi because there were not any ambulances. The taxi took us to the hospital, where I stayed until five in the morning.
"I have never seen anything like this. It is huge despair and anguish. We did not find the support."
Berrio's trainer Sergio Chams insisted the fight had not been unequal and praised the ringside doctor.
He said: "The doctor attended to him quickly, he woke him up and they immediately took him to hospital. It was a fair fight, there was nothing suspicious, it was a competitive fight."
2023-10-20 16:04:56
