The boxing world has been stunned by the death of Galway boxer John Cooney, with tributes to the 28-year-old pouring in from professional and amateur boxers.
Fellow professional boxer and Galway native Kieran Molloy described him as "a fantastic boxer, a young man just chasing his dreams."
Last weekend, Cooney was seeking to defend his Celtic super-featherweight championship title in a fight against Welshman Nathan Howells at the Ulster Hall in Belfast.
The contest was stopped in the ninth round and following a medical assessment John Cooney was transferred to Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital.
He had suffered an intracranial haemorrhage.
News broke on Saturday that he had died.
"Every time a professional boxer steps through those ropes, you know your life is on the line, and its just tragic when stuff like this does happen," Molloy said.
In April 2023, Cooney fought Sandeep Singh Bhatti in Galway on Molloy's undercard.
From there he went on to win the Celtic title with a first-round win over Liam Gaynor in November 2023 at the 3Arena in Dublin on Katie Taylor's undercard.
"He was on the verge of some very big fights," Molloy said, "he'd a huge future ahead of him and he was a very proud Galway man."
"I just want to send my condolences to John's family and his fiancée Emmaleen," he added.
At amateur boxing club, Club Dornálaíochta Chonamara, trainer Micheál Ó Domhnaill said news of Cooney's death was "just shocking".
"It's hard to believe how it ended for John, because he was in the prime of his career, you know he was a fit young man."
Posting a picture of himself posing alongside Cooney on X, former world featherweight champion Barry McGuigan said it was "such a tragedy to loose [sic] this fine young boxer".
Speaking on BBC radio, he said: "It is terrifying that this could happen to a 28-year-old kid who looked in the prime of his life. It's just hard to believe it.
"He was just a lovely, sweet kid. Ambitious, determined and driven. To have his life snapped away like that is just tragic."
McGuigan successfully campaigned for a number of new safety measures to be introduced to professional boxing in the UK, following the death of Nigerian featherweight 'Young Ali' after their fight in London in June 1982.
Such a tragedy to loose this fine young boxer
— Barry McGuigan (@ClonesCyclone) February 8, 2025
JohnCooney RIP who died after suffering a subdural hematoma following his Celtic Title Fight in Belfast last week. I send my family and my deepest sympathies to John's fiancée Emmaleen and his parents and his family RIP 🙏 pic.twitter.com/6Bippo2KqO
Young Ali, whose real name was Asymin Mustapha, collapsed and fell into a coma following the fight.
After many months on a life support machine, he died in December 1982.
The exact circumstances of what led to Cooney's death are not fully known, but his death has put a renewed focus on the safety of the sport.
Professor Colin Doherty, Consultant Neurologist and Head of School of Medicine at Trinity College Dublin, said the number of deaths due directly to trauma in the boxing ring is "relatively low".
He is, however, very concerned about the safety of boxing and other contact sports where there are blows to the head.
His team's research has shown that repeated blows to the head, including those that fall short of causing concussion, can cause brain injury and he believes much more could be done to prevent this.
"This terrible death obviously is to be mourned but I don't think I am standing here to either defend of accuse boxing in relation to a single death.
"What I am doing is making a plea across all of the sports that involve head injuries, sub concussive and concussive blows.
"Lets get people together, let the Government bring people together, including people like myself and the sports people and players and fans, and lets make these things safer, because they aren't as safe as they could be and that's just a simple fact," Prof Doherty said.
Additional reporting Aodhán Ó Maoileoin
