UNLV Student Dies After Competing in Boxing Match
A UNLV student dies days after competing in a charity boxing event for his fraternity, according to TMZ Sports. Nathan Valencia, 20, took part in the main event for the Kappa Sigma-hosted "Fight Night" on Nov. 19 when hit collapsed after his match with a student. Valencia was taken to a nearby hospital with critical injuries and died four days later.
Attorneys released a statement on behalf of Valencia's family with KTNV Las Vegas on Friday, saying they are heartbroken and asking for privacy at this time. "We will leave no stone unturned to determine how a 20-year-old ended up in a school-sanctioned amateur fight that cost him his life," the statement reads.
Valencia's girlfriend told KTNV that Valencia collapsed five minutes after his boxing match. "Once I walked in there, I just had like a really weird feeling. I remember in one of the fights, someone's headgear fell off and then during Nathan's fight, you could see that he was just trying to get away to catch a breath," said Lacey Foster, Valencia's girlfriend. Keith Whitfield, UNLV President, sent a message to the entire campus when learning the news of Valencia.
"Nathan Tyler Valencia has passed away following a tragic incident a week ago," Whitfield wrote. "Nathan was a junior at UNLV and had participated in Kappa Sigma Fraternity's "Fight Night," an off-campus event intended to raise money. Soon after his fight, Nathan collapsed and was taken to a hospital. We are shocked and heartbroken as we mourn the loss of one of our own. Coping with the loss of life is always difficult, especially under these circumstances. UNLV is committing all available resources to review the incident and determine how off-campus events like these can be as safe as possible."
Foster set up a GoFundMe Page for Valencia's family, and the page has raised over $52,000 as of Monday afternoon. "Nathan had a smile that lit up every room he walked into," Foster wrote. "I was lucky enough to cross paths with Nathan and share what felt like a lifetime of love and laughter. The love we shared was like no other. Nathan was the kind of person who put others before himself. Anyone who knows him could see how much he cared and loved for his family, friends, and myself. I was truly my best and happiest self when I was with him. The impact he made on not only my life, but everyone else's is unmatched."