Better protection in the ring

Photo: The Canadian Press

Edmonton heavyweight Tim Hague

As an Edmonton elementary school mourned the loss of a beloved teacher on Monday, Tim Hague's death from injuries suffered during a boxing match sparked calls for stricter licensing requirements and better protection for fighters in the ring.

Hague, 34, was injured in a second-round technical knockout loss to Adam Braidwood in a heavyweight bout on Friday night.

He was taken to hospital after the one-sided loss. His friends reported on social media that he underwent surgery to relieve bleeding on the brain. His death was announced Sunday by his sister Jackie Neil.

Hague, a former kindergarten teacher whose nickname was The Thrashing Machine, taught Grade 4 English at Ecole Bellevue School.

"It is with deep sorrow that we must inform our Black Gold family that Mr. Tim Hague, a beloved teacher and staff member at Ecole Bellevue School, has passed away," the school said in a statement. "This is a tragedy for everyone — his family, his friends and the school community that he was such an important part of.

Hague's death came less than a month after boxer David Whittom went into a coma with bleeding on the brain after a knockout loss in Fredericton, N.B. The two cases have raised calls for improvements in rules to ensure the safety of fighters in boxing and mixed martial arts.