The girlfriend and family of a 20-year-old fraternity member are left perplexed as to how a 2021 event the school was aware of could result in the death of a student.
Nathan Valencia was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He participated in a "fight night" event at the Sahara Event Center, organized by UNLV's Kappa Sigma fraternity. The amateur boxing match was supposed to be a simple fundraiser, but things went terribly wrong.
The match had no professional referee or immediate medical help. Organizers were woefully unprepared for Nathan to collapse just moments after his fight concluded. What's worse, it initially went unnoticed after a brawl broke out.
Nathan Valencia's loved ones urged him not to participate in the charity boxing event. They noted there were few things Nathan wouldn't do for a charitable cause, so they weren't surprised by his decision to fight.
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A longtime friend, Joe Castro, was at the event and noticed his friend struggling throughout the fight. To a degree, it was expected that Nathan would have a hard time, with no formal boxing experience. Still, no one was prepared for what would happen next.
"I was like this, this thing, it's like an underground fight club," Joe told 8 News Now Las Vegas.
There were no professional referees or medical personnel at the event. When Nathan collapsed moments after his match was called, it first went unnoticed because of a fight that broke out.
"I saw no medical, no doctors, nothing," Joe shared.
"Members there about doing their own thing while Nathan was just in the ring like laying there. It was ridiculous."
Nathan's girlfriend, Lacey Foster, was also at the match and noticed Nathan "just trying to get away to catch a breath" during his match.
"Once I walked in there, I just had like a really weird feeling," she told The Sun.
Once medical attention came, Nathan's prognosis was already bleak. He had suffered internal bleeding and brain injuries as a result of the match.
"They pretty much said they're gonna try to do their best but they didn't know if he was going to make it out," Lacey shared.
Four days after being hospitalized, Nathan died from his injuries. It was just days before he would turn 21. His organs were donated to help eight different people.
Nathan's family released a statement via their attorney. "The Valencia family is heartbroken over the loss of Nathan. Our preliminary investigation reveals mistakes were made and safety precautions overlooked," they shared.
"We will be completing a full investigation to determine how UNLV and the Kappa Sigma Fraternity could allow and promote an event like this to take place. College students should not be placed in a situation where they are pitted against each other for combat."
"'Kappa Sigma Fight Night' is an event that has been held annually and was well known to both UNLV and the national Kappa Sigma Fraternity," the statement continued.
"We will leave no stone unturned to determine how a 20 year old ended up in a school-sanctioned amateur fight that cost him his life. The family has asked for privacy during this time to grieve."
A GoFundMe page for the family has raised $52,000 thus far.
