Boxer Denis Boytsov underwent kidney surgery shortly before his death

Shortly before his death, boxer Denis Boytsov underwent surgery to remove a kidney stone. This was announced on October 17 by the athlete's brother Maxim Boytsov.

"There was a kidney stone. Two stones remained, they let me go home," he told TASS.

According to Maxim Boytsov, during the operation, doctors failed to remove two more stones. After surgery, the athlete was discharged home to recover. The remaining stones were planned to be removed later.

The death of 40-year-old Boytsov was announced on October 17 by the Center for Physical Culture and Sports Events. His father Nikolai Boytsov said that the funeral will take place on October 18 in the Orel region, and the cause of the boxer's death was a ruptured blood clot.

After severe injuries sustained in Berlin in 2015, Boitsov underwent several operations, was in a medically induced coma, and then underwent prolonged rehabilitation, he could not walk or speak.

Denis Boytsov was born on February 14, 1986 in Orel. He started boxing at the age of five, and at the amateur level he fought 130 fights, scoring 115 victories. In 2004, Boytsov switched to professional boxing. In 2006, he won the WBC World Youth heavyweight title, and in 2009 he won the WBA intercontinental title and the WBO European title.

In total, Fighters fought 37 fights in the professional ring, in which he won 36 victories, 27 of them by knockout. He was considered one of the most promising Russian heavyweights of the early 2010s.