Bodybuilder dies after AFC fight

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean bodybuilder has died after a celebrity Muay Thai fight against former Singapore Idol contestant Steven Lim in the city-state, local media reported.

The match on Saturday was 32year-old Pradip Subramanian’s first Muay Thai fight, the Straits Times newspaper reported yesterday.

Subramanian was a late replacement for Lim’s original opponent, Sylvester Sim, who pulled out because of insurance issues.

Both Sim and Lim, a YouTube personality, were contestants in the first Singapore Idol series in 2004.

After the match, which was won by 41-year-old Lim, Subramanian was rushed to the hospital where he died, media reported.

“Rest in peace, my really truly respected fearless warrior and fighter and awesome boxing instructor, Pradip Subramanian!!!” Lim said in a Facebook post.

The match was part of the inaugural Asia Fighting Championship, which was organised by Axseed Events, an event management firm, and Muse Fitness Singapore, which runs a Muay Thai training facility.

Subramanian died at the Singapore General Hospital on Saturday, about an hour after he stepped into the ring, Channel NewsAsia reported on its website, citing a statement from the organisers.

“We are in close contact with the medical staff at the hospital to ascertain the cause of death and request that during this difficult time we should come together and extend our support to Mr Subramanian’s family, friends and associates and refrain from any speculation,” the broadcaster reported the organisers as saying. Reuters