Kickboxer Adrienne Simmons dies after weekend bout

Kickboxer Adrienne Simmons, 34, has died of injuries sustained after a weekend kickboxing bout in Orlando.

Simmons, of Georgia, was participating at the International Kickboxing Match when she was struck by opponent Lindsay Scheer with a left hook during the final round of a three-round fight. She was knocked unconscious, but according to witnesses including her boyfriend, she was lucid during the hour it took for medical assistance to arrive. Simmons’ boyfriend, Chike Ajuda, commented on the delays that may have cost the female kickboxer her life:

“There was no paramedics or ambulance on site, which there should be at any fight. This was a huge fight with 200 people — a huge capacity for something to go wrong of this nature,” Ajuda told WFTV. “There was no one on site, so it took, from what I understand, 30 minutes before she was placed on gurney and ready for transport… So it was about an hour before she was prepped for surgery.”

Ajuda is also a Muay Thai kickboxer from Atlanta. He trains at Bangkok Boxing on Peachtree Industrial.

“Time is always a critical factor in these types of injuries,” he said.

Simmons was transported via ambulance to Orlando Regional Medical Center. She was treated for two days, but died Tuesday. Her opponent, Lindsay Scheer, made a statement on her Facebook page about the tragic incident that reads in part:

A piece of me died in the ring yesterday with Adrienne. I will never get it back…not even in time – it will not heal this, period. However, my initial visceral reaction when I was told by the police officers was a hysterical fit that I will never fight again. To be honest, I am terrified to step into the ring and I don’t know how I will be able to…but again, this is not about me. My grandmother was one of the strongest people I have had the privilege of knowing and Adrienne was one of the bravest. I know that my grandmother would tell me I am being weak and wasteful and I truly believe that Adrienne would want me to continue to fight because if this situation was reversed, I would have wanted her to do the same.

Scheer goes on to say:

Words cannot describe my gratitude for all of the support that everyone has given me. I am overwhelmed by everyone’s compassion even more so by the kindness and concern I have been given by those who knew and loved Adrienne. your strength to reach out to me in a time when it would have been so easy to do otherwise h…as and will continue to help me through this dark time. I am truly touched