Frédéric Sinistra

Frédéric Sinistra
Born	13 January 1980 Seraing, Belgium
Died	15 December 2021 (aged 41) Havelange, Belgium
Nickname	The Undertaker
Nationality	Belgian
Style	Kickboxing

Frédéric Sinistra (13 January 1980 – 15 December 2021) was a Belgian kickboxing champion who died from COVID-19.^[1][2] Born in Seraing, Sinistra taught himself kickboxing at a young age and began competing in the sport at age sixteen. He went on to win the Belgian National Championship title four times and the World Championship a total of three times.

Sinistra was nicknamed "the Undertaker", and at one time was called "Belgium's strongest man".^[3] Opponents that Sinistra defeated included Stefan Leko and Dževad Poturak, while he was defeated by Badr Hari,^[4] Grégory Tony, and Patrice Quarteron.

Sinistra, an anti-vaccinationist, was unvaccinated and a denier of COVID-19. When he became infected with COVID-19 in late November 2021, he would not acknowledge he had it. He was admitted to hospital but voluntarily discharged himself soon after. He died of COVID-19 complications in Havelange a few weeks later.^[1][2][5]

References

1. Gilbert, David (20 December 2021). "A COVID-Denying Kickboxing World Champion Just Died From COVID". Vice.com. A three-time world champion kickboxer died at his home in Belgium from complications caused by COVID-19 weeks after discharging himself from the hospital. Fred Sinistra, 40, was unvaccinated and would not even use the term COVID-19. ... [He] is the latest in a long line of anti-vaccine and COVID skeptics who have died as a result of complications caused by COVID-19.
2. "Muere a los 41 años Frederic Sinistra, campeón de kickboxing y conocido antivacunas". ABC.es. 29 December 2021.
3. Colarossi, Natalie (December 27, 2021). "Kickboxing champ dies after refusing to admit he has COVID, checking himself out of hospital". Newsweek.
4. "Greg Tony faces Frederic Sinistra in rematch at Fight Night Saint Tropez 6". fightmag.com. May 9, 2018. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
5. (in French) Avis Avis de déces Frédéric Sinistra, inmemoriam.be