isaan.live — Reported from the media site ahotelinitaly.com, Irish fighter John Cooney has passed away a week after experiencing a mind injury in a champion fight, his promoters have said.
The 28-year-old from Belfast was required to extensive treatment after he shed to Welsh fighter Nathan Howells at the Ulster Hall last Saturday.
It was his first defence of the Celtic super-featherweight title. The fight was dropped in the 9th rounded, and it later on arised Cooney had an intracranial haemorrhage.
In a declaration on social media, his promoters MHD Promos said: “It’s with complete devastation that we need to announce that after a week of fighting for his life, John Cooney has unfortunately died.
“Mr & Mrs Cooney and his fiancée Emmaleen would certainly prefer to say thanks to the staff at Belfast’s Imperial Victoria Medical facility that have functioned tirelessly to conserve John’s life and for everybody that has sent out messages of support and prayers.
“He was a much-loved child, sibling and companion and it will take all of us a life time to forget how unique he was. RIP John ‘The Youngster Cooney’.”
Cooney had won the title versus Liam Gaynor in Dublin in November 2023, but had invested a year from competitors with a hand injury.
He made his go back to competitors in a non-title spell with Tampela Maharusi from Tanzania, which he won.
Posting on Instagram, Howells also said he had listened to “the most awful has happened,” and included his “ideas are with his (Cooney’s) friends and family”.
Conrad Cummings, other North Irish fighter and two-time WBO European middleweight champ, included: “John Cooney the warrior died this night.
“I am deeply distressed, I can’t start to think about the hurt his bad fiancée & family are undergoing.. I hope they find the stamina.”
Gaynor – that retired from boxing after his fight with Cooney – also said on Instagram: “Very unfortunate information to find out about the passing of great friend John RIP sibling.”
And the website Irish-Boxing.com said: “John was constantly very type to us and charitable with his time. A skilled fighter and individual we constantly enjoyed sharing time with.
“The support displayed in current days by the boxing community simply highlights how highly John was thought about. “