Irish boxer John Cooney has died aged 28 from injuries sustained in a bout on February 1, his promoter announced on Saturday. The Irishman had been in intensive care after suffering an intracranial haemorrhage as he lost to Welshman Nathan Howells in a super-featherweight bout in Belfast last Saturday. The fight was stopped in the ninth round and Cooney was taken to hospital. It was his first defence of the Celtic super-featherweight title. "It is with complete devastation that we have to announce that after a week of battling for his life John Cooney has sadly passed away," said a statement issued by promoter Mark Dunlop on behalf of the Cooney family.