The man, who was married and had one daughter, was competing against Mario Aleksandrovski at the Matador Fighter Challenge at Cicero Stadium when the incident occurred.
According to the promoter, Johnson collapsed near the end of the third and final round. Paramedics rushed the athlete to Loyola Hospital in Maywood, where he died a few hours later.
Johnson was pronounced dead at the hospital at 12:01 a.m. and an autopsy was scheduled to determine his manner of death and cause of death, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The event’s promoter, Joe Goytia, wrote in part in a Facebook post, “I don’t have the words to express how I feel right now.”
“This is a post I was hoping to never make, last night one of the fighters in our event Isaac Johnson collapsed near the end of his fight,” he said. “Medical assistance was provided by the attending medical staff and he was transported to hospital. I was told around 1:00 this morning that he had not made it. I have no words to express how I feel right now. All I can say is my deepest condolences to his family, friends and teammates. We will know more when the medical report is released.”
The promoter says Johnson passed the physical test before the fight required by the state.
It was his first-ever Thai fight, sources said.
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations is investigating the incident.
#Isaac #Johnson #Thai #fighter #dies #ring #fights #Chicago