Boxing world mourns Jeanette Zacarias sadly dead at just 18
Jeanette Zacarias (2-4), an 18-year-old pro boxer from Mexico, died Thursday afternoon from injuries sustained during a fight last Saturday.
The news was confirmed by Yvon Michel, who promoted the card in Montreal, Canada on which Zacarias was injured. Zacarias, from Aguascalientes, Mexico, was stopped standing after the fourth round of her six-round scheduled welterweight bout against Marie Pier Houle at Stade IGA in Montreal.
Zacarias was taken by ambulance to Sacré-Coeur-de-Montréal hospital after going into a seizure following a series of power shots that left her stunned at the end of round four. Zapata was unable to walk back to her corner, and the fight was waved off after the bell. Zapata’s right arm began to convulse, and her legs went limp, at which point she was laid onto the canvas for medical personnel to attend to.
“It is with great sadness and torment that we learned, from a representative of her family, that Jeanette Zacarias Zapata passed away this afternoon at 3:45 pm. The entire team at Groupe Yvon Michel team is extremely distressed by this painful announcement,” reads the statement from the promoter.
Zacarias’ boyfriend, fellow boxer Jovanni Martinez, was at her bedside until her last moments, the statement says. Martinez had also fought on the same card, losing a decision to lightweight prospect Mazlum Akdeniz.
The statement reads that neither Martinez nor the promotional group will be commenting further on Zacarias’ death.
Zacarias, whose final pro record is 2-4, had lost her previous two fights by knockout, including a sixth round knockout loss to Cynthia Lozano in her previous fight, which took place three months prior in May. Before that, Zacarias was out of the ring for nearly three years following a third round stoppage loss to Alma Ibarra.
A GoFundMe page for Zacarias’ medical expenses was launched after the fight, raising $14,239 Canadian dollars towards a goal of $14,000 from 270 donors, as of Thursday evening. A number of pro boxers had contributed to the funds, including Mikael Zewski, Librado Andrade and Samuel Vargas.
BBN would like to wish all the family and friends of Jeanette's their deepest condolences at this very difficult time.
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