Boxer Sherif Lawal Passes Away After Being Knocked Out During Debut Fight

Published|Updated

British middleweight boxer Sherif Lawal has died following his professional debut fight on Sunday. 

The 29-year-old Lawal endured a knockout punch from his competitor Malam Varela (2-4) during the fourth round of their scheduled six-round fight at Harrow Leisure Centre in London. According to TMZ, Varela's punch landed directly on Lawal's temple, immediately bringing him to the ground. 

According to a BoxingScene source who was ringside, the contest had been evenly fought until the end of the third round when Lawal was stunned by "a right hand over the jab that landed seconds before the bell sounded."

"They both exchanged on the bell and the referee, Lee Every, pulled them apart. Lawal then came out with a high guard to start the fourth, he looked fine. He took the right hand to the temple and his back was to the ropes, he spun around and then fell on his haunches," the outlet reported.

Medical professionals jumped into the ring and reportedly performed CPR on Lawal on the spot for over 10 minutes before he was taken to nearby Northwick Park Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Warren Boxing Management, who represented Lawal, released a statement after his passing:

"Last night, Sherif Lawal was making his debut at a show at Harrow Leisure Centre, in which our boxer Courtney Bennett was scheduled to fight," the statement began.

"Unfortunately during Sherif’s fight, he collapsed and despite the best efforts of the paramedics, he was later pronounced dead. Warren Boxing Management would like to send our condolences to all of Sherif’s family, friends, coaches and all those close to him at this tragic time."

Robert Smith, General Secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control, told BoxingScene: "It’s a tragic incident and we’re all in shock. We’re now in the process of gathering all the reports from the officials, doctors and paramedics to attempt to ascertain exactly what happened."

"His boxing medicals were all in order and we have a report from his GP stating he was fit and well. It’s an awful, tragic thing to happen."

The fight between Lawal and Varela was the first on the card. After the incident, the remaining fights were canceled.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.