John Cooney’s tragic death leaves behind a sport struggling with its own mortality

When a boxer dies due to injuries suffered in the ring, the sport does not stop. The atmosphere around it, however, shifts markedly. An ever-present but abstract risk is suddenly tangible

Irish boxer John Cooney died a week after suffering an injury in the clash in defence of his Celtic super-featherweight title

A few days after it was announced that 28-year-old Galway boxer John Cooney had died after suffering catastrophic injuries during a title fight in Belfast, Thomas Carty went back to read over their old messages. It broke his heart all over again.

Cooney was introduced to boxing growing up in London and brought it with him when he relocated to Clarinbridge, Galway. He went to Ulster Hall to defend his Celtic super-featherweight title on February 1 and ended up at the Royal Victoria Hospital, with his parents and fiancé holding a bedside vigil. Cooney suffered an intracranial haemorrhage and died a week later.