Boxer Sherif Lawal died aged 29 after collapsing during his debut fight

The boxing community is mourning a tragic loss.

British boxer Sherif LawalHe died after collapsing in the ring during his professional debut, his management company confirmed. He was 29.

“Despite the best efforts of paramedics, he was later pronounced dead,” Warren Boxing Management said in a May 13 statement, adding that the organization would like to extend “our condolences to all of Sherif’s family, friends, trainers and everyone else. “I am close to him in this tragic time.”

Lawal fought against a Portuguese opponent Malam Varela when he was beaten in the temple, per The guardduring the fourth of six rounds of the middleweight bout at London’s Harrow Leisure Center on May 12. Medical first responders reportedly attended to Lawal at the scene before he was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Secretary General of the British Boxing Board of Control (BBB) Richard Smith expressed its condolences to Lawal’s family on behalf of the organization, noting: “The thoughts of everyone involved in boxing in the UK are with them at this difficult time.”