‘I’m not going to hold back in the ring’
Heavyweight says he’ll keep fighting despite tragedy
When Adam Braidwood steps back into the ring in the comain event at KO Boxing 80 on Friday night, he’ll be thinking about his good friend Tim Hague.
Just over three months ago, Hague died from a brain injury two days after being knocked out in brutal fashion by Braidwood.
“It’s tough. What happened in the last fight with Tim was hard for a lot of people, including myself, and that was part of the reason why I took two fights this month,” Braidwood said on Wednesday at a pre-fight news conference.
“I know the only way to get over things and get through things is to get out of your comfort zone and jump right back in there. I didn’t hesitate. It only motivated me more. Out of respect for Tim, I’m not going to let my skills slip. I’m not going to hold back in the ring. I’m going to go out and fight hard.”
Over the past two years, Braidwood has used boxing to help him recover from his own personal demons and dark past. The aftermath has been tough on him, but he’s committed to keep fighting.
Braidwood (9-1) returned to the ring earlier this month in his hometown of Victoria and knocked out Mexico’s Wilfredo Leal in the first round in the main event of Summer Slugfest VII.
On Friday, Braidwood will face Mexico’s Christian Larrondo (40-1) as he looks to continue his dominance as one of Canada’s best up-and-coming heavyweight boxers.
Hague’s death sparked an outcry of emotion in what was a tragic outcome.
Braidwood was flooded with online messages from people all over the world. Some offering their support, while others sent messages blaming him.
He was contacted by former WBA lightweight champion Ray (Boom Boom) Mancini, who underwent a similar experience when opponent Duk Koo Kim died a few days after their bout in November 1982, due to injuries sustained in the fight.
“For any sort of negative comments I got, I got 10 positive ones,” said Braidwood. “A lot of people reached out to me, including members of Tim’s family, and that meant a lot.
“It was really intense and difficult. I had people all over the world messaging me. The majority of things I heard were really positive and it helped me personally.”
Just like he does in the ring against his opponents, Braidwood wasn’t going to back down from those who spewed hatred towards him for the tragedy.
“Some of these (negative) people, I would message back right away and I would say, ‘What’s your problem? Why are you saying this?’
“They would tell me they’re angry,” Braidwood said.
“I would say that’s fine, you can take it out on me, but you can take time to donate money to Tim’s family. Do something positive through this. You can trash talk me all you want, I’m an easy target, but do something positive, as well.”
The Edmonton Combative Sports Commission sanctioned the match. An independent consulting firm has been appointed to review the events surrounding the fight.
“In Tim’s case, I don’t think there was anything that was going to stop this from happening,” Braidwood said. “He had his mind made up he wanted to keep fighting.
“It could have happened in the ring or while in training. When it comes down to it, we’re punching each other in the head and in the body. It’s our job as athletes to get ourselves ready for that, and if you’re not doing that, you’re cheating yourself and you’re making it difficult on everyone else.”