In a tragic turn of events, the 27-year-old boxer Patrick Day died on Wednesday at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, after succumbing to the injuries he received while fighting Charles Conwell in Chicago on Saturday.
Day was left in a coma after he was knocked out in the 10th round of their super-welterweight bout. He was also sent to the canvas in the fourth and eighth rounds.
The fight was stopped in the tenth, and Day had to be removed from the ring by stretcher. He then had a seizure in the ambulance, fell into the coma and had to have emergency brain surgery.
Day was reportedly surrounded by family, friends and his boxing teammates when he passed.
Shortly after the fight, Conwell posted an Instagram message and asked his followers to keep Day in their prayers, and he did the same on Monday in a separate message.
Then on Tuesday, Conwell said he was thinking of quitting boxing altogether but decided against it. At this time, the 21-year-old hasn’t commented on Day’s death.
“I never meant for this to happen to you,” wrote Conwell. “All I ever wanted to do was win. If I could take it all back I would no one deserves for this to happen to them.”
“I see you everywhere I go and all I hear is wonderful things about you,” he added. “I thought about quitting boxing but I know that’s not what you would want. I know that you were a fighter at heart so I decided not to but to fight and win a world title because that’s what you wanted and thats what I want.”
Day grew up in New York, on Freeport, Long Island, and in 2012 he became the New York Golden Gloves tournament champion. He was also a 2012 Olympic alternate.
In 2017 he won the WBC Continental Americas championship super-welterweight belt and the IBF Intercontinental super-welterweight title championship in 2019. His overall record stands at 17 wins, four loses and one draw, with six knockouts.
Plus, Day received an associate degree in food and nutrition from Nassau Community College, then received his bachelor’s in health and wellness from Kaplan University.
His promoter Lou DiBella issued a statement on his passing.
“Pat’s kindness, positivity, and generosity of spirit made a lasting impression with everyone he met,” wrote DiBella. “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.”
“He chose to box, knowing the inherent risks that every fighter faces when he or she walks into a boxing ring,” the letter continued. “Boxing is what Pat loved to do. It’s how he inspired people and it was something that made him feel alive.”
