John Cooney Mark Robinson/Getty Images
Irish boxer John Cooney has died after sustaining serious injuries in a fight. He was 28.
“It is with complete devastation that we have to announce that after a week of battling for his life John Cooney has sadly passed away,” Cooney’s boxing promoter, Mark Dunlop, wrote via Facebook on Saturday, February 8. “Mr and Mrs Cooney and his fiancée, Emmaleen [Maher], would like to thank the staff at Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital who have worked tirelessly to save John’s life and for everyone who has sent messages of support and prayers.”
Dunlop added, “He was a much-loved son, brother and partner and it will take us all a lifetime to forget how special he was. RIP John ‘The Kid Cooney.’ Funeral details to follow.”
A cause of death has yet to be confirmed.
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Cooney suffered an intracranial hemorrhage after a title fight earlier this month that required emergency surgery.
“Following John Cooney’s epic title fight at the Ulster Hall on Saturday evening, John was assessed by the onsite medical team of the British Boxing Board of Control and swiftly taken to Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital for further treatment,” Dunlop wrote in a February 3 statement. “On arrival at the RVH, it was discovered that John had an intracranial hemorrhage and underwent immediate surgery to relieve pressure on his brain.”
At the time of posting, Dunlop revealed that Cooney was “current in the intensive care unit” at the medical facility.
“John’s fiancée, Emmaleen, and his parents, Hugh and Tina, would like to thank everyone for their private thoughts of support,” Dunlop concluded earlier in February. “[They] would ask that they keep John in their thoughts and prayers at this time as he faces his toughest battle.”
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Cooney is survived by his parents and Maher, 31. The couple had been together since at least spring 2021 before the late athlete proposed in July 2022.
“MRS COONEY TO BE 💍,” he wrote via Instagram at the time. “Thank you everyone for All the kind messages! Much appreciated.”
The next year, Cooney was Maher’s No. 1 cheerleader when she graduated from nursing school.
“Congratulations @emmaleenmaher_ on your graduation 👩🎓,” he wrote via Instagram in October 2023. “Super proud of all your hard work these last 4 years! Qualified psych nurse 🙌🏻. Wish I was there for you today but all these sacrifices will be worth it in the long run.”
Maher, who has a private Instagram account, has not publicly addressed Cooney’s passing.
