Mylik Birdsong, a boxer based in Los Angeles, was shot and killed at the age of 31
Mylik Birdsong, the expected welterweight who recently won the state title, was shot and killed Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles.
Birdsong (15-1-1, 10 knockouts), a resident of Los Angeles, was 31 years old. He was scheduled to fight Gor Yeritsyan on October 26 at the Commerce Casino in nearby Commerce in the most compelling welterweight bout ever. The fight was to be streamed live on UFC Fight Pass.
Tom Loeffler, head of 360 Boxing Promotions and promoter of the October 26 card, was saddened to hear of Birdsong’s passing.
“We are excited to announce the return of Gor Yeritsyan to our October 26 show at Commerce Casino,” Loeffler told The Ring on Sunday night. “He would have been in a very good competition with Mylik Birdsong. Unfortunately, we have just received the sad news that Mylik has been killed. Our hearts, and prayers go out to his family and friends. We will definitely honor Mylik at our show with 10 (honorable) figures.”
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, in a statement sent to KTLA5, the shooting happened around 4:50 pm near Watts in Los Angeles. Birdsong was standing next to the car talking to his girlfriend who was sitting inside, when a black colored SUV came and opened fire at him. Birdsong was hit, and he ran towards the entrance of the house, where he was hit again by gunfire fired by two men who were chasing him.
Birdsong, who was hit seven times in the torso. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation, including the motive, is ongoing.
Birdsong last fought on March 23 at Saint John Bosco High School in nearby Bellflower, defeating Jerry Bradford by unanimous decision. With the win, Bradford won the vacant World Boxing Federation (WBF) International welterweight title.
In his previous fight on November 11, Birdsong was knocked out by Jose Vargas Quintana in a clash of undefeated prospects.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has handled boxing in Southern California and internationally since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. They can be reached at [email protected]
