Family turns off life support for 28-year-old Australian in second death to hit the sport in six months

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

A 28-year-old boxer has died of the injuries he sustained last week after competing in a boxing title fight in south-western Sydney.

Davey Browne Jr was knocked out by Carlo Magali of the Philippines in the last 30 seconds in the final round of a 12-round contest at the Ingleburn RSL club on Friday. The men were competing for the International Boxing Federation super-featherweight regional title.

Browne’s family decided to turn off his life support four days later.

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Although the father of two regained consciousness after the knock-out blow, he then collapsed from his stool and was taken to Liverpool hospital in a critical condition suffering from brain injuries.

The president of the Australian National Boxing Federation, John McDougall, who witnessed the match, told the Sydney Morning Herald the boxer had “dropped” in front of him.

“The Filipino hit him with a crashing punch and he was out cold before he hit the floor,” McDougall said. “The doctor gave him oxygen and an ambulance was there in seconds.”

The New South Wales minister for sport, Stuart Ayres, said the Combat Sports Authority would cooperate fully with the police in their investigation.



“My thoughts are with David’s family and friends during this tragic time,” Ayres said on Tuesday.

Police have confirmed a postmortem examination will be conducted and a report prepared for the coroner.

This death comes just six months after a Queensland boxer, Braydon Smith, collapsed and died after he lost a 10-round featherweight bout.