On July 19, 2019, Dadashev fought Subriel Matías as part of a Top Rank event aired by ESPN at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
The fight was an International Boxing Federation (IBF) light welterweight title elimination bout with the winner receiving a shot at the belt. Dadashev lost via stoppage after his trainer, Buddy McGirt, asked the referee to stop the contest at the end of the eleventh round. Dadashev, losing significantly on the official scorecards, protested but McGirt overruled him believing that he could not take any more punishment; McGirt later said he had considered doing so two rounds earlier as he felt his fighter was fading and taking too many hits. In the video below, you will see McGirt doing just that, pleading with Dadashev to throw in the towel in an earlier round.
Dadashev needed help to get out of the ring and was unable to make it to his dressing room before he collapsed and vomited in the corridor. He was rushed to University of Maryland Prince George’s Hospital Center, where he was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma and underwent emergency surgery to stop the bleeding. He was then placed in an induced coma to try to allow the swelling in his brain to subside. However, Dadashev’s condition worsened and unfortunately on July 23 he passed away in hospital, an event that shocked and upset fellow boxers and boxing fans all over the world. He is survived by his wife, Elizaveta, and a son.
