Tremendous-featherweight boxer John Cooney, 28, has died after his defeat by Welshman Nathan Howells in Belfast final Saturday.
The Irish boxer suffered an intracranial haemorrhage and had surgical procedure to alleviate strain on his mind following the bout on the Ulster Corridor.
Galway man Cooney was assessed by the medical crew within the ring earlier than being stretchered out and transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.
“It’s with full devastation that we have now to announce that after per week of battling for his life John Cooney has sadly handed away,” MHD Promotions stated on behalf of the Cooney household.
“Mr and Mrs Cooney and his fiancee Emmaleen want to thank the workers at Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital who’ve labored tirelessly to save lots of John’s life and for everybody who has despatched messages of help and prayers.
“He was a much-loved son, brother and accomplice and it’ll take us all a lifetime to overlook how particular he was. RIP John ‘The Child’ Cooney.”
The competition was stopped within the ninth spherical on the Ulster Corridor in what was Cooney’s first defence of his Celtic super-featherweight title.
The Galway boxer received the Celtic title with a first-round win over Liam Gaynor in November 2023 at a sold-out 3Arena in Dublin, on the undercard of Katie Taylor’s revenge win over Chantelle Cameron.
Cooney then spent a 12 months out of the ring recovering from a hand harm earlier than returning to beat Tampela Maharusi of Tanzania in October 2024 in London.
