April 27, 2024
Heavyweight Boxer Ardi Ndembo, 27, Dies; Knockout Led to Induced Coma
Ardi Ndembo was 8-0 in his boxing career before his death.
Heavyweight boxer Ardi Ndembo, 27, died April 25, three weeks after a brutal knockout loss.
Before his last bout, Ndembo had a career record of 8-0. However, in his April 5 match against Nestor Santana, he was knocked out and remained unconscious in the ring for several minutes.
Following the Team Combat League fight, Ndembo was put into a medically induced coma in a Miami hospital. The father of two died with his wife was beside him.
The Team Combat League promotional sponsor shared its condolences in a post on X.
“We at Viva Promotions mourn the loss of Ardi Ndembo, a talented Congolese boxer who tragically passed away after a knockout in a Team Combat League match on April 5. He remained in an induced coma until his death. RIP Ardi Ndembo!” They wrote.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s uncle, Jeff, was also a part of the team that Ndembo represented in the Team Combat League called the Las Vegas Hustle. Jeff was standing beside the ring when the knockout match happened.
He opened up to The U.S. Sun about what happened. “Boxing’s a sport where you grow up watching it and loving it, but there’s so much risk involved,” he said. “Anyone can lose their life from boxing. When something like this happens, it wakes up the whole entire world.
“I don’t think boxing’s a bad sport because you can die in any sport. You drive a race car at 200 mph, if it slides, you’re going to die too. You can die in any sport but boxing is a brutal sport.”
Since then, a GoFundMe page has been started to help support Ndembo’s family. Currently, more than $14,000 has been raised.
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