A teen wrestler sucker punched his opponent instead of shaking hands after he lost a match in Illinois two weeks ago.
The attack occurred on April 8 during the 2023 Beat the Streets Developmental FS tournament held in Oak Park, Illinois when wrestler Cooper Corder of SPAR Academy defeated Maine West High School’s Hafid Alicea, according to TMZ.
Video of the altercation at the community event open to kids years 8 to 18 shows Corder (in orange) pinning Alicea (in blue) ending the match with Corder wining 14-2.
The pair then approach for the traditional handshake, but instead of the sportsman-like act, Alicea takes a sudden and unprovoked swing at Corder, sending the latter to the mat in a heap.
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Corder reportedly suffered a nose injury from Alicea’s swift sucker punch and is now wearing a face shield while competing, TMZ added.
“He is making the best of the situation and is already back to training,” SPAR Academy founder Justin Pearch said.
“As you may know, wrestling matches can get heated but nothing leading up to the punch would give cause to such bad decision-making on the opponent’s part,” Pearch said, adding, “It’s not tolerated in our sport and Spar Wrestling will never condone that behavior.”
The Oak Park Police also reported that they are investigating the incident but no charges have been made.
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