The Hindu : Sport / Boxing : Boxer dies after bout

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 09, 2004

Sport

Sport - Boxing

Boxer dies after bout

PANAMA CITY, DEC. 8. Colombian boxer Carlos Meza died on Tuesday, four days after being knocked out in the ring, according to boxing officials.

``Unfortunately, Meza has died,'' said Miguel Prado, president of Panama's Boxing Commission.

Meza, 26, never regained consciousness after being knocked out in the 12th round of a bantamweight bout against Panamanian Ricardo Cordoba on Friday in the Atlantic port city of Colon.

Dr. Winston Grenald, the boxing commission's physician, said Meza had died as a result of a coma induced by three skull fractures and the accumulation of fluid on the brain. He said doctors ``did all they could'' to save the fighter from Barranquilla, Colombia.

Doctors said earlier on Tuesday that Meza had suffered ``brain death,'' and that they were only waiting for vital signs from his internal organs to cease in order to issue a formal death certificate.

Doctors here are forbidden from disconnecting life support systems as long as a patient's organs are working.

The bantamweight fighter underwent an operation on Saturday to ease swelling from cerebral bleeding, according to a hospital news release.

Meza was reportedly undefeated in eight fights before the bout against Cordoba. He was listed as the 14th ranked contender by the World Boxing Association.

Meza's wife, Luz Mery Torres, said her husband had hoped to buy a house for his family.

``I don't understand what happened. He was well prepared,'' the weeping Torres said.

Fellow boxer Irene ``Mambaco'' Pacheco said, ``Carlos always liked close-in fights, and he was devoted to his wife and two children.''— AP

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