The boxer who knocked out Tim Hague, the former MMA fighter and elementary school teacher who died following a match in Edmonton, is speaking out.
Adam Braidwood posted a video on Twitter Monday night, describing Hague as a friend and brother.
Rip brother you will live in my heart forever. I will fight for us both now, I know that's what you would have wanted. pic.twitter.com/H682h6rwJu
— Adam Braidwood (@BraidwoodBoxing) June 19, 2017
"Everyone saw me celebrate — no one saw me pick up Tim and get him to the corner and tell him that I love him," he said. "I haven't made a statement because I didn't know what I could say or do that would help in any way," he said.
Hague lost the match on Friday night by technical knockout in the second round due to injuries. His family said he underwent surgery to relieve bleeding on the brain, and died two days later.
"Tim and I were friends, we spoke beforehand, we wanted to make a beautiful fight for everyone, and that's what this is all about," said Braidwood, who is a former Edmonton Eskimos football player.
Braidwood told CTV News that Hague was a "kind-hearted warrior," who wanted to keep fighting.
In response to criticism that the match should have ended after Hague was knocked down several times, Braidwood said video showed Hague made the decision to keep the fight going.
"I would've done the same thing, and he would've done the same thing to me, trust me," he said in the CTV interview.
"He said he wanted to keep fighting so we kept fighting."
The City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission are investigating the fight, which the commission says is standard practice. The city also wants a third-party review of the incident.
With a file from The Canadian Press