- Boxing champion, 27, found next to the body of a relative in a Thai hotel
- Jayson Tonkin in coma in Thai intensive care unit
- Police found ketamine, cannabis and drug paraphernalia in the room
Australian boxing champion Jayson Tonkin is in intensive care at a Thai hospital after he was found next to the body of his deceased relative in a hotel room in the coastal city of Pattaya.
According to Pattaya city police, the two men were found at 12.10am on Wednesday in a room on the fourth floor of the hotel, allegedly with “ketamine, cannabis and drug paraphernalia” on the table.
Staff at the Vogue Hotel in Pattaya “heard a commotion” on the top floor and went to room 2412 and found the “friend of the deceased man panicking” and reportedly “in a state of severe intoxication.”
Daily Mail Australia has confirmed the identity of the male relative who died in the company of Muay Thai boxing champion Jayson Peter Tonkin, despite Thai media reports that it was Jayson himself who had died.
The man who died was shirtless and wearing black shorts and a fanny pack. The commotion that hotel staff heard was reportedly Jayson screaming about his family member having fallen to the floor.
Boxer Jayson Tonkin (above) lies unconscious in the intensive care unit of a Thai hospital after being found in a hotel room next to the body of his deceased relative, alongside ketamine, cannabis and drug paraphernalia
The body of Tonkin’s male relative was on the floor of the hotel room in Pattaya and the boxer was screaming and drunk before being taken to a Thai hospital and is now in a coma
Tonkin, above in training in Hua Hin, was due to fight in the rescheduled fight in November but it is now uncertain what condition the comatose 27-year-old will be in by that date.
Thai media reported: ‘They went to investigate and found the deceased’s friend panicking and shouting why his friend was lying still.’
Muay Thai contacts said it was not clear “when or if” Jayson would regain consciousness in the hospital’s intensive care unit.
However, it is believed police could charge him with use or possession of ketamine, a ‘schedule 2’ drug in Thailand, which carries a penalty if he is sentenced to between one and five years in prison.
Tonkin, a middleweight Muay Thai fighter, opened up about his struggles with drugs — and methamphetamine in particular — in a mental health podcast created earlier this year.
Tonkin, whose boxing nickname is ‘The Dingo’, flew to Thailand last month for a fight against WBC Muay Thai middleweight world champion Tengnueng Sitjaesairoong.
Jayson Tonkin is in a coma in the intensive care unit of a Thai hospital after he was found next to the body of a dead male relative in a hotel room in the resort of Pattaya
Police and hotel staff in room 2412 where they found Jayson Tonkin in a suspected intoxicated state, his deceased relative on the floor next to him and reportedly a quantity of ketamine, cannabis and drug paraphernalia
Jayson Tonkin’s fight against number one Muay Thai middleweight world champion Tengnueng Sitjaesairoong (Together Above Opponents) was postponed due to rain, but may now have to be abandoned altogether
The Australian, originally from Manly in Sydney, said he was looking forward to winning by knockout in the October 20 fight, which was subsequently canceled due to monsoon rains.
Tonkin, who moved to Thailand during his teenage years, revealed on the podcast that he got into smoking ice through a Muay Thai trainer, saying on Instagram: ‘I’m not really allowed to live here right now. I get too lost in the madness.”
But he said he had lived and trained in Hua Hin, a “quiet” beach town southwest of Bangkok.
He was found on Wednesday along with the body of his relative in the more cosmopolitan metropolis of Pattaya.
“Authorities administered first aid before taking him to a nearby hospital,” Thai media reported.
On the @TidesTalk podcast, Tonkin talked about smoking cannabis from the age of 17, before turning to stronger drugs and smoking ice.
His fight against the champion Tengnueng was rescheduled for November.
Jayson Tonkin has previous convictions in NSW for damaging property,