In a sport like boxing, athletes are always prone to life-altering injuries because of blows. In that case, the referee’s role becomes even more pivotal in saving fighters from unnecessary aggression or punishment. However, for Jacob Oyoko, the officials made a crucial mistake during the bout, which ended up costing his life.
After the viral moment was captured on camera, everyone got curious to know how that unfortunate event happened. Here’s all you need to know about the incident:
How did Jacob Oyoko die after a boxing match?
For those unaware, Jacob Oyoko is a Kenyan amateur boxer based out of Kisumu. In one of the local bouts, he faced an opponent named Julius Okuruchi, who was clearly getting the better of him during the exchanges, landing body shots and hooks to the head. After those crushing punches, the Boxer was visibly rocked and even went to the corner to evade getting any more punishment, but the referee didn’t stop the fight.
It’s unclear whether he was knocked out or not; however, local outlets later reported that Oyoko was transferred to the hospital, where doctors found that he sustained multiple injuries. According to Citizen Digital’s report, the president of the Kenya Professional Boxing Commission, Reuben Ndolo, later confirmed that the Kenyan boxer had passed away because of injuries sustained during the boxing match.
“Emergency protocols were activated promptly, with ringside medics administering oxygen support and cardiopulmonary resuscitation before the boxer was rushed to the hospital,” Ndolo said. “However, efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.”
Kenyan boxer Jacob Oyoko died in hospital after sustaining injuries in the ring on Saturday night.
What was the referee doing? Absolutely awful
via @notjustboxing pic.twitter.com/pjWGYTzlfj
— Dovy
(@DovySimuMMA) April 2, 2026
This is a developing story…
