Argentine boxer Hugo Alfredo “Dinamita” Santillan died Thursday in Buenos Aires of injuries suffered in the ring after Saturday’s draw against Uruguayan fighter Eduardo Javier Abreu. He was 23.
Dr. Graciela Olocco from Hospital Agudos San Felipe confirmed the death on Thursday morning to media outlets.
Santillan underwent surgery for a clot in his brain and twice went into cardiorespiratory failure before he died of cardiac arrest at 12:35 a.m. local time Thursday morning, Olocco said.
Russian boxer Maxim Dadashev died Tuesday after suffering a similar brain injury during Friday’s fight in Maryland against Subriel Matias of Puerto Rico. He was 28.
Santillan (19-6-2), a super lightweight, made his pro debut in 2015. Eight of his 19 victories were by way of knockout. He was the son of fighter Hugo Alfredo Santillan and was from the same region, Santa Fe, as Marcos Rene “Chino” Maidana.
According to ringside reports, Santillan’s nose began to bleed in the fourth and, though he raised his arm in victory after the fight, he passed out as the judges were announcing the draw — scored 95-95, 93-97 and 96-94 — against Abreu (10-1-1).
“Upon admission to the hospital, he had successive kidney failure and he did not come out of his coma,” Olocco said. “He had swelling of his brain and he never recovered consciousness. The swelling continued to worsen and it affected the functioning of the rest of his organs.”