Death of UNLV student who died after amateur boxing match ruled homicide

The death of a student from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) following an amateur boxing match has been ruled a homicide.

The Clark County Coroner ruled the death of Nathan Valencia a homicide on Nov. 23, NBC News reported. Valencia passed away after taking part in the Kappa Sigma fraternity’s annual “fight night.”

Valencia’s match was the fraternity’s main event of the night at the off-campus Sahara Events Center on Nov. 19. 

Five minutes after the fight was over, Valencia collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. Doctors said he had internal bleeding that he could not survive. 

The Nevada Athletic Commission started an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding Valencia’s death. 

Nick Lasso and Ryan Zimmer, two attorneys representing the Valencia family, said in a statement Tuesday that there were no medical personnel at the event and students have had to go to the hospital in the past because of the fight night. 

The referee of the fight was also not certified and was caught on video drinking before the matches, the attorneys said. 

“It is unacceptable that the individual in charge of enforcing the rules of combat with the authority to stop a fight, would be impaired. From this, it is clear that UNLV, Kappa Sigma Fraternity, and the Sahara Event Center all looked the other way and failed to ensure proper safety precautions were in place,” the statement reads. 

The president of UNLV said Friday that the school will be reviewing the incident.

Johnny Sao, the manager of communications and public relations for the fraternity Valencia was a member of, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, said Monday that the group is “devasted by the passing of Brother Nathan Valencia from the chapter at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.”