Junior welterweight Luis Quinones died Thursday night, five days after being hospitalized following a knockout loss to Jose Munoz at Coliseo Elias Chegwin in Barranquilla, Colombia. He was 25.
Quinones’ brother, Leonardo Quinones, confirmed his passing on Facebook.
“You went ahead of us my loving brother, now you are with your heavenly father, whom you adored and served, I love you my brother Luis Quinones, forever and ever in our hearts,” Leonardo Quinones wrote.
Cuadrilatero Boxing, the fight promoter, released a statement on social media saying: “Cuadrilatero Boxing is deeply saddened by the death of Luis Quinones, an exceptional and disciplined human being, who always showed the greatest commitment to this sport. Luis was passionate about boxing, so much so that he left his hometown of Barrancabermeja to continue his career in Barranquilla and become a national athlete. His idol was Julio Cesar Chavez.”
Quinones was declared brain-dead on Thursday, but he was still connected to a respirator until his passing was announced at midnight.
Quinones and Munoz engaged in a back-and-forth fight. In the eighth round, Munoz lost his mouthguard, and referee Leonel Mercado sent Quinones to a neutral corner while Munoz was getting his mouthguard back. Quinones was on wobbly legs in the ring at that point, and when the fight continued, after a punch, Quinones was knocked down. He was put on a stretcher and taken to the hospital.
Quinones, who was unbeaten before the fight, was taken to the North General Clinic in Barranquilla, where he underwent surgery for what was diagnosed as “neurological deterioration as a result of head trauma due to traumatic contusions.” Doctors also detected a subdural hematoma, for which a craniectomy was performed.