The wife of tragic boxer Maxim Dadashev spent six hours at his bedside and was with him when he died.
Elizaveta Apushkina, 28, had flown to the US following surgery which removed ‘the right side of his skull’ after suffering a serious brain injury during his fight with Subriel Matias in Washington D.C, USA.
Now the Russian boxing authorities are to launch their own probe into his death examining if there were ‘any mistakes’ by American doctors in his treatment.
The wife of tragic boxer Maxim Dadashev spent six hours at his bedside and was with him when he died
Elizaveta Apushkina, 28, had flown to the US following surgery which removed ‘the right side of his skull’ after suffering a serious brain injury during his fight with Subriel Matias in Washington, USA
Apushkina also led tributes to the sportsman on Wednesday, saying: ‘My love! You are always in my heart, my soul is tearing apart from pain without you!
Apushkina also led tributes to the sportsman on Wednesday, saying: ‘My love! You are always in my heart, my soul is tearing apart from pain without you!
‘It is the hardest time in our family.’
‘I can’t believe it! Thank you for 11 years of love! Eleven years of happiness! And a wonderful son! This is all I have left and it will give me the power to live.’
In another message issued in the US, the widow said: ‘It is with great sadness that I confirm the passing of my husband, Maxim Dadashev.
‘He was a very kind person who fought until the very end. Our son will continue be raised to be a great man like his father.
‘Lastly, I would like to thank everyone that cared for Maxim during his final days.
‘I ask that everyone please respect our privacy during this very difficult time.’
The lightweight fighter’s former coach Ruslan Dotdaev said that Dadashev had a hemorrhagic stroke.
‘I was in touch with his wife. She flew there and spent six hours with her husband.
‘Maxim was in a coma. She was there when his heart stopped beating.
‘She was by his side. All the rest is not known yet. I do not know if forensic experts are to check this case.
‘Doctors told the wife that Maxim’s heart just could not cope with it. His wife is hugely stressed now. She is hardly talking.’
She has begun preparations to bring his body back to St Petersburg for a funeral in his homeland.
But Umar Kremlev, general secretary for the Boxing Federation of Russia, insisted they would hold their own investigation.
‘We have spoken to (Russian) doctors in the morning. Maxim was alive but his condition remained grave.
In another message issued in the US, the widow said: ‘It is with great sadness that I confirm the passing of my husband, Maxim Dadashev.
‘Maxim was in a coma. She was there when his heart stopped beating. She was by his side. All the rest is not known yet. I do not know if forensic experts are to check this case’ his coach said. Pictured: Maxim with his son
‘Yet there was no bad news. And after lunch time they called and reported the news of his sudden death.
‘We will search for the truth. We will address the clinic, we will hire professionals.
‘We will find out, what was done, if an MRI was done earlier, if doctors made any mistakes.
‘We would like to know what Maxim Dadashev died from. I do not think it was because of boxing.
‘It is a very rare case. Everyone must know what happened.’
He added: ‘The main thing now is to bring him home. We will pay for all the expenses on transportation and funeral.
Dadashev died four days after suffering a brain bleed following a brutal match against a Puerto Rican opponent in Maryland
He was left in a medically induced coma after suffering a subdural haematoma in a 140-pound world title eliminator against Puerto Rican fighter Subriel Matias at MGM National Harbor
‘We will continue helping the family, financially I mean.
‘We will be with them, we do not leave our people alone. It is a huge shock for all us.’
The International Boxing Federation started a crowdfunding campaign to support his family.
The couple fell in love as teenagers and had a young son Daniel, two, who will now give her the ‘power to live’ after the tragedy, she said.
The 28-year-old Russian was repeatedly stuck in the head in the 11th round against Subriel Matias in Maryland last week before trainer Buddy McGirt was caught on camera begging him to throw in the towel.
Dadashev – nicknamed Mad Max – took repeated blows to the head against Subriel Matias
Subriel Matias is seen after Maxim Dadashev’s corner threw in the towel after the eleventh round of his junior welterweight IBF World Title Elimination fight
Dadashev was considered one of the sport’s bright young stars before Friday’s fight
McGirt today revealed to ESPN that he first thought about ending the fight in the ninth round, before the 10th and 11th made his mind up.
‘I’m gunna stop it… you’re getting hit too much’, McGirt was heard telling the Russian at the end of the 11th round, before he shook his head. ‘Please, Max, let me do this,’ McGirt added before ignoring his fighter’s wishes and telling referees it was over.
The trainer then gave a ringside interview in the belief that he had saved the young fighter’s life, before Dadashev collapsed and vomited on his way to the locker room and was rushed to hospital.
Doctors placed Dadashev in a medically induced coma and removed the right side of his skull to relieve swelling caused by a brain bleed, but their efforts ultimately failed and he was pronounced dead Tuesday.