It was supposed to be a day that kicked off a young man’s dream career. Instead it ended in heartbreaking tragedy. A young boxer from Dearborn died after his pro-debut fight.
Now his family is asking for action to be taken in his honor that would change the sport of boxing.
Hamzah Al-Jahmi wanted to be the next Muhammad Ali. His family described him as talented, faithful, hard working and loving.
Almost two years ago the 19-year-old made his professional debut at a fight in Ohio. As the fight ended he collapsed in the ring. He was rushed to the hospital, where he later died.
This week according to court documents his dad filed a claim in the Court of Claims of Ohio against the Ohio Athletic Commission. It asks for 25 million dollars in damages.
The claim says the Ohio Athletic Commission didn’t do enough to protect him during the fight. It calls for a ban on blows to the head, a limit on the number of knockdowns in a fight, and improved standards to assess whether a fighter has suffered a concussion. It also says referees and other officials did not have enough training to identify concussions and prevent brain injuries.
Seven Action News reached out to the Ohio Athletic Commission for comment. It offered no comment on the new and pending litigation.
