Kickboxer sober after beating friend in a bout leading to brain damage
A New Zealand kickboxer was left devastated after his friend and opponent ended up in intensive care with a brain haemorrhage following their title fight at the weekend.
Chase Haley defeated Riine LeComte to take the New Zealand ISKA Pro Super Cruiserweight belt at Balclutha’s Battle at the Bridge II on Saturday.
Event organizer Robert Ngari-Dean told New Zealand Herald that LeComte appeared fine after the fight and was examined by a top doctor.
After that, LeComte attended a party where he only had one drink before leaving.
“He went back to his hotel, went to see his coach and told him he wasn’t feeling very well,” Ngari-Dean said.
The fighter was taken to a medical center in Balclutha and then taken by ambulance to Dunedin hospital.
“On the way, they had to stop in Waihola because he started having seizures,” Ngari-Dean said.
When he arrived at the hospital it was discovered that he had a brain hemorrhage and doctors performed surgery that required part of his skull to be removed.
LeComte is reportedly still in the intensive care unit, but is recovering well.
“We are not out of the woods, but we are on the right path,” Ngari-Dean said.
Haley was devastated by the incident and is thinking twice about her future in combat sport.
“Every time we step into the ring, it’s a risk we take,” he said.
‘I always pray and do my karakia (Māori ritual chants) before every fight, to make sure everyone returns home safely to their families.
But in this case it has not happened.
‘This has given me the biggest scare of my life.
“It’s just changed my perspective on everything.”
Haley later took to social media to ask for prayers for her friend.
“My brother Riine Le Comte suffered a head injury over the weekend and doctors discovered a bleed on his brain,” he posted on Instagram.
‘He is currently in the ICU in Dunedin fighting his toughest battle yet. ‘I’m absolutely devastated to say the least, the only thing I pray before I go into battle is that everyone returns home safely to their whānau (family).’