Boxer Anthony Yarde's father dies of coronavirus
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British boxer Anthony Yarde announced Sunday that his father has died of complications from COVID-19.
In a note on his Instagram story, the 28-year-old light heavyweight said he's publicizing the news to "help people stay home."
"My dad passed away from this virus yesterday and he was fit with no health issues," Yarde wrote. "The more people go out and mingle the longer this isolation will last and the more it will spread. I'm not a doctor but I do know if you stay home you are less likely to catch it or pass it on. It's seriously not worth the risk."
"Coronavirus is an issue affecting all of us, but that doesn’t make the individual casualties any less tragic," Yarde's promoter Frank Warren said in a statement, according to The Guardian. "We hope that his fans listen to Anthony's heartfelt plea for people to take the government’s advice seriously so we can try and minimize the suffering of others."
As of Sunday morning, there were 19,522 positive tests for COVID-19 in the United Kingdom and 1,228 deaths from the virus, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
Yarde's next fight against Lyndon Arthur, originally scheduled for April 11, was previously moved back to July due to the pandemic.