British man, 30, dies after collapsing in first Muay Thai fight

A 30-year-old British man has died after participating in his first-ever Muay Thai fight in Thailand.

The man was taken to the Thai International Hospital in Koh Samui and received CPR from medical staff before he was eventually pronounced dead at 11pm local time on Friday.

Earlier that evening at around 9.30pm, the British man was involved in a fight scheduled for five rounds at the Samui Inter Boxing Stadium in Koh Samui.

A report from superintendent Col. Den Duang Thongsrisuk of Bo Phut Police Station has revealed that the man lasted three rounds in his Muay Thai debut against an opponent named only as ‘Superlek’.

In the first round, the British man punched his opponent to the canvas with the referee counting to eight. In the third round, the British man was kicked in the ribs 10 times until he collapsed. The referee then stopped the fight due to the injuries suffered.

The report claims that after the fight ended, the British man was able to walk out of the ring by himself and remove his gloves unaided. However, while he was removing the hand wraps, he began to tense up, had difficulty breathing, and had glazed eyes.

The man was brought to the front of the stage and was still conscious. However, around five minutes later, the man lost consciousness and his heart stopped. While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, CPR was performed on him.

When he was taken to the hospital, medical staff performed CPR for about an hour, after which the doctor declared him dead at 11:00pm.

The police officers in charge of the case took the man’s body for an autopsy at the Surat Thani Hospital’s Department of Internal Medicine and notified the British Embassy in Thailand.

Metro has contacted the Foreign Office for more details.

Muay Thai, a vicious combat sport that allows elbows as well as punches and kicks, remains popular in Thailand with tourists able to purchase tickets for around £35.

In recent years, many Brits have also travelled to Thailand to receive specialist Muay Thai training and compete in dedicated gyms across the country.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

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