A day after news broke that an Edmonton boxer, former MMA fighter and teacher had died, after he suffered serious injuries in a boxing match Friday, tens of thousands of dollars had been raised to help out his family.

Tim Hague, 34, was a late replacement in a match against former Edmonton Eskimo Adam Braidwood Friday night at the Shaw Conference Centre.

Over the course of the match, it became clear that Hague was out-matched, he was knocked to his knees four times in the first round, and eventually in the second round it all ended with a knockout.

He left the ring under his own power, but was rushed to hospital in critical condition a short time later.

On Sunday, his family confirmed he had died.

His sister released a statement Sunday: “It is with incredible sadness, sorrow and heartbreak we report that Tim has passed away today. He was surrounded by family, listening to his favourite songs. We will miss him so greatly.”

Late Sunday, a GoFundMe page was launched to help Hague’s family – by late Monday afternoon, more than $20,000 had been raised.

On Monday, Hague’s brother Ian released a statement, reaching out to Braidwood.

“It was fine. Adam is a [professional] athlete like Tim was. Someone wins and someone loses. Tim knew the risks of the sport. Unfortunately sometimes things like this happen. No one in our family blames Adam for what happened and we wanted him to know that.”

Later Monday, Braidwood appeared on CTV News Channel from Victoria to talk about what happened, in the emotional interview he spoke about the moments after Hague was knocked out.

“I waited on my knees for Tim to move, after I did my stupid little celebration…I waited on my knees, I watched him, he moved,” Braidwood said. “I picked him up because his team was struggling to pick him up; I carried him to the corner.”

Braidwood spoke fondly of Hague.

“He was a kind hearted guy, I knew Tim personally, he would do anything for you, he was a warrior to the end,” Braidwood continued. “He was a kind hearted warrior man, that’s it.”

Promoter KO Boxing released a statement Monday, which expressed condolences to Hague’s family, and said their organization was “deeply saddened by his passing”.

“It was an honour for all the combative sport community to be touched by Tim’s passion and drive for the sport. The community has suffered a tragic loss of one of their most committed and determined members. The entire Edmonton combative sport family will miss him.”

 

 

Hague was also an elementary teacher in Beaumont; and was in his first year teaching at Ecole Bellevue School.

“Mr. Hague was a beloved teacher and staff member, his students loved him and looked up to him,” Jennifer El-Khatib, principal at the school, said Monday. “It’s a tough day here for sure for everybody, we’re focusing on staff and students and parent community.”

The Edmonton Combative Sports Commission said the fight is under review.

In the days after the fight, some on social media cited an apparent ‘knockdown’ rule that should have ended the fight after three knockdowns. However, a look at official rules finds the referee followed them.

On Monday, a City of Edmonton spokesperson said there will be a review of the fight, and an independent investigation will look at everything leading up to Hague’s death.

“We want to ensure that our policies and procedures are responsive to the community, and making sure that these events are absolutely as safe as they possibly can be,” Rob Smyth with the City of Edmonton said.

“That review will have to get input, information from all of the different individuals who were part of organizing the event,” Smyth said.

The city has not decided who will carry out the investigation – whether it will be done by an individual or an organization, and there is no timeline for completion.

With files from Jeremy Thompson