Canadian boxer found dead in rental home

PHUKET: Police are trying to identify the cause of death of a Canadian boxer whose body was discovered in his rental home in Patong yesterday morning.

“The incident occurred at 50 Pi Road, where the victim, 27-year-old Matthew Darling Richardson, was staying. We found his body lying face down in the bathroom. He was dressed in black shorts and had a bag strap around his neck. A plastic chair also lay nearby,” said Capt Seksan Prakabsin of Patong Police.

There were no signs of struggle on the body and no evidence of the room having been ransacked.

The body was taken to Patong Hospital for a post mortem.

“According to his Australian girlfriend, they had been together for four years, but Mr Richardson stayed alone in his house. Before the incident, she called him many times, but received no answer. She then went to his house and called out to him several times before breaking in the door to find his body,” said Capt Seksan.

“At this stage, we have yet to confirm the cause of death. We will wait for the autopsy results and also question other people,” he added.

Mr Richardson was known to be a skilled boxer with 22 wins out of 33 fights. He practiced Thai boxing and MX Muay Extreme, among others. His last fight had been in Malaysia on July 18.

— Kritsada Mueanhawong