University of Las Vegas student Nathan Valencia, 20, dies after boxing in fraternity’s ‘fight night’
A UNIVERSITY of Las Vegas student has tragically died after boxing in a fraternity’s amateur ‘fight night’.
Nathan Valencia, 20, passed away days after going toe to toe with another student for a charity fundraiser at the Sahara Events Center in Las Vegas.
Just minutes after stepping out of the ring on November 19, he suddenly collapsed and was rushed to hospital.
The 20-year-old’s girlfriend Lacey Foster said she noticed Nathan had been “just trying to get away to catch a breath,” during the boxing match.
“Once I walked in there, I just had like a really weird feeling,” she said.
Doctors said he was suffering from internal bleeding and he was severely injured after the ‘fight night’ organized by UNLV’s Kappa Sigma fraternity.
Lacey described Nathan as an “active member” of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at UNLV.
A heartbroken Lacey continued: “They pretty much said they’re gonna try to do their best but they didn’t know if he was going to make it out.”
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The kinesiology student succumbed to his injuries and died on November 23, just days before his birthday.
His organs were donated to eight different people.
His grief-stricken family promised they will “leave no stone unturned to determine how a 20-year-old ended up in a school-sanctioned amateur fight that cost him his life.”
Nathan’s loved ones had begged him to back out of the boxing match but he insisted he was doing it for a good cause, according to reports.
They said in a statement that “mistakes were made and safety precautions overlooked” at the annual charity event.
“College students should not be placed in a situation where they are pitted against each other for combat,” it continued.
The family’s attorney claimed there was no immediate medical help available and there was not a professional referee.
Several other fights had been organized for the fundraiser to raise money for Center Ring Boxing, a north valley gym that trains troubled youths.
Nathan’s fraternity shared an Instagram post paying tribute to their late pal.
It read: “Our brother Nathan showed us nothing but love and will continue to do so from up above.
“His strength and kindness never went unseen and we were so thankful to have him as a brother.”
UNLV President Keith Whitfield dubbed Nathan’s death a “tragic incident” and said they were looking into how they can make off-campus events safe.
He said: “We are shocked and heartbroken as we mourn the loss of one of our own.
“Coping with the loss of life is always difficult, especially under these circumstances.
“UNLV is committing all available resources to review the incident and determine how off-campus events like these can be as safe as possible.”
A GoFundMe page for Nathan has raised over $42,000.
