Den före detta UFC-fightern Tim Hague avled på söndagen efter att ha fallit i en koma efter en boxningsmatch mot Adam Braidwood.
Nu har Braidwood brutit tystnaden i en intervju med CTV News och i ett meddelande på sociala medier där han adresserar Hague som vän och berättar sin sida av historien:
“It’s not a good thing for anyone involved,” sade Braidwood till kanadensiska CTV News. “I want to keep the focus on Tim and his family, especially his son. They’re the real victims here. … Just keep it about them the best that you can, because I’m still alive.”
När matchen stoppade så sade Braidwood att han hade en dålig magkänsla och hjälpte bland annat till med att lyfta Hague till sin hörna.
“I knew, man. I knew in the ring,” sade Braidwood. “I just saw the way he fell.”
“I waited on my knees for Tim to move after I did my stupid, little celebration. Like, I don’t care about that. People can say what they want. I waited on my knees. I watched him. I picked him up, because his team was struggling to pick him up. I carried him to the corner, and I could see in his face.”
Braidwood tog också tillfället i akt att ge svar till dem som kritiserat matchen och sagt att den aldrig borde ha tagit vid överhuvudtaget:
“What do they know? They don’t fight. He wanted to keep fighting,” sade Braidwood om kritikerna. “Journalists, this, that, people who write stuff. They don’t know what they’re talking about. What kind of country-club lifestyle do they live, where they get to call the shots on what we do in there? …
“Tim wanted to keep fighting, and that’s what we do. If people have delusions about this sport, about what life is really like for someone like me, who has nothing else, they can walk in my shoes. I would’ve done the same thing. And he would’ve done the same thing to me, trust me.”
Trots att många pekat ut domaren som ansvarig för Hagues död så säger Braidwood att ingen är att döma:
“It’s nobody’s fault. It’s not the ref’s fault,” fortsatte Braidwood. “The ref asked. And if you’re conscious, and you’re collective, and you have your stuff together … I saw the video. Tim was still there. And he said he wanted to keep fighting, so that’s what happened. That’s just the truth. There’s no speculation about it. He wanted to keep fighting, so we kept fighting.”
Hjälp Tims familj
Braidwood delade även med sig av ett meddelande på sociala medier där han bad folk att hjälpa Tims familj genom att donera pengar.
Lite senare postade han även en bild som visade de båda kämparna i ringen:
Rip brother you will live in my heart forever. I will fight for us both now, I know that's what you would have wanted. pic.twitter.com/H682h6rwJu
— Adam Braidwood (@BraidwoodBoxing) June 19, 2017
— Adam Braidwood (@BraidwoodBoxing) June 20, 2017
Besök denna sida för att donera pengar till Tim Hagues familj. Han lämnar bland annat en nioårig son bakom sig. I skrivande stund har $27,000 (ca. 235 000 kr) samlats in av de begärda $30,000 (ca. 262 000 kr).