LAS VEGAS (Nevada), July 4: Mexican boxer Martin Sanchez has died from serious head injuries after being knocked out by Russian Rustam Nugaev during a fight on Friday at a Las Vegas casino. Nugaev knocked Sanchez out with a right hand just over two minutes into the ninth round of a super lightweight match at The Orleans casino and hotel on Friday, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Doctors at a Las Vegas’ hospital performed emergency brain surgery on Sanchez but were unable to save him and the 26-year-old from Mexico City died Saturday morning.

Doctors said Sanchez underwent surgery to remove a subdural hematoma and to reduce massive swelling of the brain. He was placed on a ventilator in the hospital’s intensive care unit where he died.

Sanchez fell through the ropes but recovered from the blow enough to return to his corner where he was examined by ring doctor William Berliner.

Referee Ken Bayless stopped the fight and after being looked at by Berliner Sanchez and then waved and blew kisses to the crowd as he left the ring.

A second doctor, Jeffrey Davidson, examined Sanchez in the dressing room and, like Berliner, declared him to be fine, Nevada Athletic Commission executive director Marc Ratner told the Review-Journal.

“I’m satisfied that we followed every one of our procedures to give him the best care we could, but to have this still happen, it really hurts,” Ratner said.

Sanchez was bleeding from the nose and the mouth during the fight and his white trunks were splattered with blood.

Ratner said he watched the fight from ringside but didn’t notice anything unusual.

It wasn’t until someone noticed sometime later that Sanchez was acting funny that an ambulance was called and he was rushed to hospital.

Sanchez had a 13-10 record with 10 knockouts but Nugaev dominated the fight from the third round on.

Sanchez is the second boxer to die in the state of Nevada in the past three years.

Pedro Alcazar died after being stopped by Fernando Montiel in June, 2002 at the MGM Grand hotel.

There have been five boxers killed in Nevada since 1994, including Johnny Montantes who died from injuries suffered during a 1997 fight at The Orleans.—AFP