HBO’s ‘Real Sports’ Dives Deeply into Another Boxing Tragedy

Boxer Patrick Day’s trainer, family, and opponent grapple with the aftermath of his death in the ring in October 2019. #RealSports is all-new Tuesday, February 25 at 10PM on @HBO. pic.twitter.com/olhqMqKX2E

— Real Sports (@RealSportsHBO) February 13, 2020

It represents the worst possible scenario for boxers. An estimated 500 of them have died from injuries sustained in the ring since the turn of the 20th century. They include high-profile fighters like Benny Paret, Deuk-Koo Kim, Jimmy Garcia and Leavander Johnson, along with a host of others who lost their lives outside of mainstream view. The most recent fatality in boxing served as a reminder of the inherent dangers involving the Sweet Science.

Patrick Day on Oct. 12, 2019 climbed through the ropes in Chicago to face the hard-punching Charles Conwell—an undefeated contender looking to build his resume and continue his rise. Day competed with a warrior’s spirit, but the 2016 Olympian’s punches were too strong and accurate for him to overcome. He was knocked down in the fourth and eighth rounds but never stopped trying to turn the tide against Conwell. An overhand right rattled Day in Round 10 before he was dropped by a crushing combination upstairs. The impact knocked out the New York native, and as he collapsed, his head bounced violently off the canvas. Day never regained consciousness. Surgeons removed a portion of his skull to ease swelling on the brain, but he died four days after the fight.

HBO’s long-running “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” series on Feb. 25 (10 p.m. ET/PT) will air a 15-minuted mini-documentary on Day’s life and death. The piece is centered largely around Joe Higgins, a longtime boxing trainer and New York fireman. Higgins, who lost his brother—also a fireman—in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, took an interest in a 14-year-old Day and ultimately made him his protégé. The two became inseparable, with Day winning one amateur title after another.

Fearing the dangers involved, Day’s mother never wanted her youngest son—a straight-A student—to box. Higgins promised her he would take care of him, and after Day roared through the amateur ranks, he turned professional. The story unfolds with highlights of the ill-fated Conwell fight, and replays of the actual knockout are shown multiple times. Higgins admits he knew Day was in grave danger once medics placed him on a stretcher. Overcome by grief, he tells “Real Sports” that he considered stopping the fight after the eighth round, when Day suffered a second knockdown and wobbled back to his corner. However, he allowed the bout to continue, and Day won Round 9. What followed was every trainer’s worst nightmare and something Higgins thinks about every day.

Much is covered in the 15-minute piece, including Day’s three older brothers. They remain distraught and admit they indirectly blame Higgins for their brother’s death. Higgins still lives across the street from the house in which the Days grew up, and the family concedes the relationship has become awkward and strained.

Another solid piece of journalism by “Real Sports,” the Day documentary takes casual viewers into boxing’s deepest, darkest corners. The production team did a stellar job of telling the story of young man who was lost far too soon. Day’s mother was not interviewed, nor was Conwell, who resumed his career with a victory over Ramses Agaton on Feb. 8.