Tragedy ·
Hugo Santillán’s Collapse Around a Drawn Fight’s Decision
The 23-year-old boxer fell around the announcement of the verdict in his July 20, 2019 bout with Eduardo Abreu. He died five days later without regaining consciousness.
Hugo Santillán raised his arms and greeted the crowd after his fight with Eduardo Abreu on July 20, 2019. Around the announcement of the judges’ decision at Club Atlético San Nicolás in Argentina, the 23-year-old boxer collapsed and was taken to a hospital. Five days later, he died without having regained consciousness.
The 10-round bout ended in a draw, leaving Abreu, the Uruguayan fighter, with the World Boxing Council’s Latino Silver lightweight title. Accounts differed slightly on the sequence: Infobae placed Santillán’s collapse just after the verdict, while USA TODAY reported that he was awaiting the decision. Infobae said he had shown signs of distress before the cards were read, appearing confused as an assistant supported him from behind.
Medical personnel attended to Santillán on the canvas and provided breathing assistance before he was transferred to Hospital Agudos San Felipe in San Nicolás. Infobae reported that he had suffered a severe head injury during the fight. USA TODAY, citing La Nación, reported that doctors diagnosed a brain clot and operated on it; two cardiorespiratory arrests followed the procedure.
Dr. Graciela Olocco, who treated Santillán when he arrived at the hospital, told Santa Fe radio station LT9 that he had been admitted in a coma on Saturday. His condition deteriorated during the hospitalization, with successive kidney failures. In remarks reported by USA TODAY, she described brain swelling that continued to worsen and affected the functioning of his other organs.
Santillán was known as “Dinamita.” Born in Ceres, he had begun his professional boxing career four years earlier and had won South American and Latino super-featherweight titles under the World Boxing Organization. In San Nicolás, his final contest had produced neither a victory nor a defeat on the judges’ cards.
Santillán died early on July 25. Olocco gave the time as 12:35 a.m. and attributed his death to cardiac failure. The WBC said he had died from injuries suffered in the fight and sent condolences to his family and friends. Olocco described one unbroken fact through his hospitalization: “He never recovered consciousness.”