In a shocking tragedy, an aboriginal Australian boxer died in a training accident at the age of 27. Dwight Ritchie's promoter Jake Ellis confirmed the pugilist's death through a Facebook post on Sunday. He wrote, "It is with great sadness and shock to announce that the fighting cowboy Dwight Ritchie sadly passed away today doing what he loved." "As Dwight's promoter and friend it's unbearable to accept the tragic news that's just surfaced."

Meanwhile, a newspaper in Sydney reported that Ritchie, who had a record of 19 wins and two defeats, collapsed when sparring with Michael Zerefa, who has been preparing for a rematch with Jeff Horn, a former WBO welterweight champion, in Melbourne on Saturday and could not be revived.

Known to be one of the upcoming and brightest fighters from Down Under, Ritchie's last bout was against Tim Tszyu, the son of former world champion boxer Kostya Tszyu, in August for the IBF Australasian super welterweight title in Sydney.

Although the boxer, nicknamed "The Fighting Cowboy," lost by unanimous decision but vowed to return to the ring next month for a light-middleweight fight against Tommy Browne. The death of Ritchie, who left three children behind, sparked a flood of tributes from local boxers on social media.

While mourning Richie's death, Australian professional and Olympian Luke Jackson wrote on Twitter, "Today we lost one of our own." "I remember having my professional debut on Dwight's card. Sending my love to his family, loved ones and the whole of boxing Australia," he added.

Sadly, Ritchie's death came less than a month after American boxer Patrick Day died after suffering a serious brain injury during his knockout defeat to Charles Conwell in Chicago. Day was the third boxer to die from injuries sustained in the ring this year after Argentina's Hugo Santillan died in July following a bout in San Nicolas, near Buenos Aires. Santillan's death came just two days after Russian fighter Maxim Dadashev suffered a fatal brain injury in a fight in Maryland.

(With input from agencies)