A title-holding professional boxer was killed in a shooting in South Los Angeles over the weekend, according to authorities.
Police identified the victim as 31-year-old Mylik Birdsong, known as “King Mylik,” the reigning World Boxing Foundation International welterweight champion.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, Birdsong was standing outside on 87th Street just before 5 p.m. Sunday when two men approached in a vehicle and shot at him. Birdsong ran away and the suspects got out of the car and chased him on foot while continuing to shoot at him, police said.
The two men fled in the vehicle while Birdsong was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
No suspect or vehicle information is available at this time.
Birdsong debuted in 2017 and had a professional boxing record of 15 wins, one loss and one draw, with 10 knockouts. He defeated Jerry Bradford for the World Boxing Foundation welterweight champion title in March. His next fight had been scheduled for Oct. 26 against Armenian boxer Gor Yeritsyan at a Hollywood Fight Nights event.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
