Dearborn boxer, 19, dies of injuries in pro debut

Niraj Warikoo | Detroit Free Press

A 19-year-old boxer from Dearborn died Tuesday night after suffering head injuries in his first professional boxing match, said family members.

Hamzah Aljahmi was fighting Saturday night in Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Banquet Center in Youngstown, Ohio, when he fell to his knees "as the bell went off in the final round," reports WKBN in Ohio. He "died of blunt force trauma to the head, according to Mahoning County Coroner Joseph Ohr," said WKBN.

Aljahmi was in a coma for a few days before dying Tuesday night from his head injuries sustained during the bout, said his cousin, Ibrahim Aljahim of Hamtramck.

"He was one of the most talented and respected people in the community," Aljahim told the Free Press. "He was very generous, loved everyone. He cared about the whole family. ... His goal in life was to be the future Muhammad Ali. He loved boxing. From the age of 10, he was into boxing, he watched boxing. That was his main sport."

"I never heard him say a bad word in his life ... He was an angel," Aljahim recalled of his cousin. "We cried for hours yesterday. He loved Hamtramck. He loved Detroit. He loved Dearborn."

Of Yemeni descent, Aljahmi is part of an Arab-American community in Dearborn where boxing is popular among some youth. He sometimes trained at Kronk Gym in Detroit, said Aljahim.

Aljahmi's Instagram page has photos of him in boxing poses, as well as with family members, such as his niece, father, and grandmother.

His profile reads: "You all laugh cuz I'm different. I laugh because you are all the same."

He called himself a boxer, future businessman, and a good Muslim. A couple of months ago, he wrote on Instagram: "My name is hamzah I'm 19 years old I'm not perfect because that doesn't exist but I'm willing to be near that category I'm a boxer gonna be the best in my division hold that against me I love looking into my religion and learning again I'm not perfect and I also love the business world so yea."

My name is hamzah I'm 19 years old I'm not perfect because that doesn't exist but I'm willing to be near that category I'm a boxer gonna be the best in my division hold that against me I love looking into my religion and learning again I'm not perfect and I also love the business world so yea. ✌️ A photo posted by Hamzah Aljahmi (@hamzahaljahmi1) on Oct 22, 2015 at 8:04pm PDT

Before the fight, he posted: "Ready for 2mrw fight night everyone keep me in ur prayers inshallah," using the Arabic phrase for "God willing."

Videos posted on You Tube show him boxing three years ago. In 2013, he fought in the National Golden Gloves competition in Utah, according to BoxingNews24.com

Ohio State Athletic Commission Executive Director Bernie Profato said that Aljahmi had been knocked down three times during the fight, according to a report in WFMJ. At the end of the fourth and final round, he "fell back into the ropes," he said.

Aljahmi is survived by his mother, father, five sisters and one brother.

The funeral is set for Thursday at 12:30 at the American Moslem Society on Dix Road in Dearborn. He will be buried at Woodmere Cemetery, which sits close the mosque.

Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com or 313-223-4792. Follow him on Twitter @nwarikoo