Boyle native and mixed martial artist Tim Hague died June 18 after he was knocked out during a boxing match in Edmonton two days prior.
The 34-year-old fighter was knocked out by Adam Braidwood at the Shaw Conference Centre and hospitalized.
Hague’s sister, Jackie Neil, confirmed his death over Facebook and asked that the family be given privacy.
“It is with incredible sadness, sorrow and heartbreak to report that Tim has passed away today,” she wrote. “He was surrounded by family, listening to his favorite songs. We will miss him with so greatly.”
Hague was a Rochester School teacher turned heavyweight fighter who posted a 1-4 record in the UFC before being let go. Known in the ring as “The Thrashing Machine,” Hague continued to fight competitively. He told the Athabasca Advocate in 2015 that he had committed to an intensive training program in the lead up to a fight against Tony Lopez in the hopes of heading back to the UFC.
Up-and-coming MMA fighter Cam MacDonald, who lives in Athabasca and met Hague nine years ago, said he believed several things went wrong in the fight against Braidwood.
“There should have been a three knockdown rule in one round,” he said. “It might not have been stipulated in the contract, but regardless it should have been stopped. I’m not sure why (the referee) never did.”
“The cornerman should have stepped in,” he added. “They should have seen that that he was not coherent in the fight. There’s a lot of things that went wrong, but I don’t think anybody should be blamed at this time. I think they should just focus on being there for Tim’s family.”
According to MacDonald, Hague was recently released from a contract with Russia’s Absolute Champion Berkut that prohibited him from doing other fights. Since then, he had had one loss in Lethbridge.
“He’s a true warrior,” said MacDonald. “He had the warrior spirit in him, and I’ll definitely be thinking about him when I’m fighting in the future.”
