Thirty-eight-year-old boxer Justin Thornton has passed away. The American fighter succumbed to injuries he sustained on August 20 in a match with Dillon Cleckler, which knocked him out after nineteen seconds.
The fateful match took place in the US town of Biloxi, Mississippi, during the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) gala evening, which hosts matches without gloves.
The experienced Thornton started his first match under this organization against Cleckler, who covered him in the middle of the ring with hard punches, after which the juice fell helpless to the ground.
According to his Facebook page, the partially paralyzed Thornton was taken to hospital and had to be hooked up to devices, in addition to an infection associated with a spinal cord injury. He died Monday after six weeks.
“We are saddened to learn that one of our fighters, Justin Thornton, has passed away today,” the BKFC said in a statement. “We join with other members of the martial arts community in expressing our sincere condolences to her family and loved ones,” she added.
Thornton was a veteran of the MMA scene, and during his career he also wrestled with prestigious UFC series fighters Chase Sherman and Walt Harris. Gloves-less matches are gaining more and more popularity around the world, for example, famous UFC star Paige VanZantová has joined them.
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