Former British and Commonwealth super-lightweight champion Willie Limond has passed away at the age of 45.
The Scottish boxer had been hospitalized after experiencing a suspected seizure while driving.
Limond, hailing from Glasgow, won 42 out of his 48 professional fights between 1999 and 2023, with 13 victories coming by knockout. However, only three of his bouts occurred after 2016.
Originally pursuing a career in football, Limond had played five times for Albion Rovers in the late 1990s before transitioning to boxing.
Throughout his boxing career, Limond held numerous titles, including the British super-featherweight, super-lightweight, and lightweight titles, as well as the Commonwealth light-welterweight, WBU lightweight, and IBO Inter-Continental lightweight titles.
In a social media post, his son Jake announced his father’s passing in the early hours of the morning, describing him as a “warrior” who fought on for nearly 10 days.
Limond suffered four of his six defeats against opponents who later won world titles, including Amir Khan, Anthony Crolla, Erik Morales, and Ricky Burns.
In September, Limond faced countryman Ricky Burns, with the fight being stopped by the referee at the end of the eighth round due to excessive bleeding from Limond’s nose. This bout led to Limond’s retirement from boxing, although he was scheduled to fight Joe Laws in Glasgow on May 3rd.
Curtis Woodhouse, who had previously lost to Limond in a British title fight in 2014, paid tribute to the late boxer on social media.
“Absolutely devastated to hear the news of the passing of Willie Limond, a great fighter and a great man. We stayed in touch after our fight and always had a laugh together. Absolutely gutted. Rest In Peace champ,” the Englishman wrote.