In 2022, the boxing community was shocked by the death of Arrest Sahakyan. The career of the 26-year-old Russian athlete was just beginning at that time, but he was not destined to develop his potential. An ordinary fight in Tolyatti unexpectedly became the last for the WBC Asia title holder.
The judge stubbornly did not want to stop the brutal beating of the boxer.
fatal knockout
On December 26, 2022, the Togliatti “Rave” club hosted the “Kings of Knockouts” boxing tournament, organized by the “Rave Promo Boxing” promotion. In one of the battles Arest Sahakyan and Igor Semernin from Belgorod clashed.
The fight took place under the dictation of the Belgorod boxer, but the exhausted Sahakyan tried to repel his opponent to the last. Attempts to even the odds were unsuccessful: in the fifth round, he missed a series of heavy blows that led to an early stoppage of the fight.
rave promotional boxing
Despite the athlete’s condition, the referee did not stop the fight all the way until the seventh round, when Semernin knocked out Arest. The boxer lay unconscious in the ring, but the referee apparently did not realize the extent of his injuries. The specialist counted the seconds for the loser until the last moment: only after the end of this ritual, Sahakyan was carried on a stretcher and taken to the hospital.
The athlete underwent surgery, after which he entered a coma. Arrest was also diagnosed with cerebral edema. On the fourth day, the boxer was connected to a ventilator, but it was not possible to save his life. Sahakyan died on January 7 in the Togliatti hospital, without emerging from a coma.
Upon learning of the incident, Semernin recorded a video message in which he expressed his condolences:
We all cry and share your pain. Rest in peace. Kingdom of heaven, – said the boxer.
Causes of the tragedy
According to the sister, his lack of preparation affected the condition of the fighter. The arrested man entered the ring after a heavyweight race:
– He had to urgently lose 14 kg before the fight. When the fight was taking place, in the 19th minute, even the commentators said that the fight should be stopped, but nobody did. They saw his condition. There it became clear that the fight had to be stopped because he was sick. He was already standing in the ring, the boxer’s sister told REN TV.
Social networks of Andrey Korneev
After the incident, numerous checks began. The mayor of the city, who declared the illegality of the tournament, did not stand aside either: the fight was not agreed with the authorities. However, the claim turned out to be not entirely correct, since the approval of the administration is not required for the organization of such evenings, and the Boxing Federation issues accreditation for such events, but only in case of successful verification.
Despite the legality of the event, subsequent inspections revealed serious violations in their organization:
– The ring, first of all, did not meet the parameters, the ring is small. Secondly, the arrestor remained on the platform, according to many eyewitnesses, for 20 minutes. Then they put him in the car and took him away, they called an ambulance. See, when he was lying, not even the doctor came to him. The doctor was off the rope. He lay down for a long time. Now the prosecutor’s office will figure it out, Alexander Sheremetyev, Sahakyan’s coach, explained to Komsomolskaya Pravda.
Based on the results of the investigation, the authorities found no reason to hold the organization responsible. They reported that the boxing night was held in accordance with all the rules and requirements. No one was punished for the death of the athlete.
