Champion Boxer Mylik Birdsong Fatally Shot in South Los Angeles
South Central, Los Angeles—Mylik Birdsong, known widely as “King Mylik,” was a 31-year-old professional boxer and reigning World Boxing Foundation International welterweight champion. His recent murder is fueling ongoing conversations about what many are calling a modern-day genocide of Black men in Los Angeles.
Birdsong was killed Sunday Sep. 29th around 5 p.m. after pulling up to visit his mother for dinner near 87th and Denker. According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) two men pulled up in a vehicle and opened fire. Birdsong attempted to flee, but the assailants chased him on foot, continuing to shoot until he collapsed.
The suspects returned to their car and fled the scene, leaving Birdsong critically injured. He was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No suspects have been identified, and police have yet to release any details about the getaway vehicle.
Read More: Professional boxer shot and killed by two men in South Los Angeles
Birdsong’s boxing career began in 2017, and he rapidly rose to prominence with an impressive record of 15 wins, one loss, and one draw, including 10 knockouts. In March, he claimed the World Boxing Foundation welterweight title after defeating Jerry Bradford. His next highly anticipated fight was scheduled for October 26 against Gor Yeritsyan at the Hollywood Fight Nights event.
Birdsong’s death sheds light on the ongoing crisis in Los Angeles, where gun violence continues to disproportionately claim the lives of Black men. Activists, scholars, and community members point to the persistent systemic issues—poverty, over-policing, limited economic opportunities, and entrenched gang culture—that contribute to the high death toll.
This tragedy is not an isolated event. Birdsong’s death is part of a larger pattern in which promising lives are cut short. In neighborhoods like South Central, Watts and Compton, Black men are often caught between survival and violence, with few viable paths toward safety or success. Community advocates argue that the city’s neglect of these neighborhoods only perpetuates the cycle of violence.
As Birdsong’s family, friends, and fans mourn his death, the lack of suspect information underscores the frustration with unsolved murders in Black Los Angeles. The need for policy changes, community investments, and intervention programs is increasingly urgent. Many fear that without immediate action, the death toll will continue to rise, leaving more families shattered by violence.
Read More: https://voiceofblackla.com/niani-finlayson-los-angeles-sheriffs-kills-young-mother-of-two/
Birdsong’s death marks the loss of not only a gifted athlete but a young man with potential beyond the boxing ring—a life extinguished too soon by senseless violence. His passing now serves as yet another painful reminder that the ongoing genocide of Black men in Los Angeles must no longer be ignored.
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