A boxing trainer collapsed and died while his fighter was competing in a title bout in Tijuana on Saturday.
Argentina’s Sabrina Perez was in the midst of her WBC Interim featherweight contest with Skye Nicolson when her coach Diego Arrua required urgent medical treatment.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman later confirmed that he had suffered a heart attack and had died in hospital.
Promoter Matchroom Boxing, which staged the event at the Auditorio Municipal Fausto Gutiérrez Moreno in Tijuana, posted a tribute to him on social media which read: “RIP Diego. Our thoughts and condolences are with Sabrina Perez and your loved ones.”
Perez has previously held a WBO bantamweight belt and was making her first defence of the WBC’s Interim featherweight title which the Argentine had won last year.
Sabrina Perez having her hands wrapped before the contest
Arrua had collapsed towards the end of the contest, which Nicolson won by unanimous decision. It was only after the bout that the severity of the incident emerged.
Nicolson’s manager Paul Ready stated: “Victory overshadowed by the tragic passing of Team Perez coach Diego Arrua during the fight.
“Our wishes and prayers with them and their family.”