Ex-WBC Asian Middleweight Champ Asan Saakyan of Armenia, 26, KOed, Dies After Ten Day Coma
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Former World Boxing Council Asian Boxing Council Silver Middleweight champion Asan Saakyan of Vardenis, Armenia, fighting out of Novosibirsk, Russian Federation, has died at the age of 26, on January 7, 2022. The day of Russian Orthodox Christmas, after ten days in a coma after being knocked out in the eighth round of a scheduled eight-round bout on December 26, 2022, in the main event of a boxing card at Rave Boxing Club, Tolyatti, Russian Federation. A funeral service is set for Togliatii on January 10, 2022, upon which time Saakyan will be sent home to his native Yerevan, Armenia, for burial.
Saakyan, 6-3 with five knockouts, fighting between super middleweight and light heavyweight, was knocked out at 1:21 of the eighth and final round by 3-0 Igor Semirnin of Belgorod, Russian, Federation.
The bout can be seen on YouTube. At the beginning of the fifth round, Saakyan was wobbled by several left hooks and uppercuts thrown by Semernin. In the seventh round, Igor Semernin landed several hard shots, left hooks, left uppercuts, and right hands, which wobbled Saakyan again. In the eighth round, Semernin connected with a huge left hook to the chin. Saakyan was wobbled and went down to the canvas, where he was counted out.
After being taken to the hospital, a subdural hematoma was diagnosed. The emergency surgery went as planned and appeared successful initially, but a severe cerebral edema developed. The fighter was placed in a coma, and after 10 days, never came out of it. In a statement on Instagram, his opponent, Igor Semirnin said, “Arest Saakyan has passed away tonight. My deepest condolences go to Arest’s family and his relatives. We share this pain with you and we mourn Arest with you. May he rest in peace.”
According to Svetlana Petoryan, the late Asan Saakyan’s sister, speaking on REV TV Russia, Aran took the fight for a payday as a late substitute on a short notice, and “He was forced to lose 14 kilograms (30 pounds) in a very short span of time.” Ms. Petoryan said in round seven, by the “nineteenth minute, it (Saakyan’s situation in the bout) had been bad. The commentary crew (calling the bout for television) said it (the bout) should have been stopped at that moment, but no one halted the contest. They saw he (my brother) was not in shape. It was obvious the fight should have been stopped because he had been (boxing) too bad(ly) [in his performance during the bout]. He was out of it at (by) that moment.”
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