Russian heavyweight Magomed Abdulsalamov who dropped a ten round unanimous decision in a brutal battle against Mike Perez has had part of his skull removed to reduce swelling.
Vice president Nathan Lewkowicz of Sampson Promotions was quoted as saying that the brave Russian was still in the Intensive Care Unit at Roosevelt Hospital in New York and remains in stable condition.
Boxing writer Karl Freitag reported that the manager of Abdulsalamov earlier revealed that the fighter had been placed in a medically-induced coma and had also suffered a broken nose and cheek as well as a broken hand in the Madison Square Garden ten round bout.
Magomed complained of a severe headache several hours after the fight and doctors discovered a small blood clot on his brain.
It was the Russian?s first loss against the Cuban, Perez, who remained undefeated.
Scott Christ in an article on Bad Left Hook said Perez (20-0, 12 KO) came out fast, perhaps hoping to catch the slow-starting Abdusalamov (18-1, 18 KO) cold, but though he did wobble Abdusalamov a couple times in the first round, he didn't put him down. That would be a theme for the night.
Abdusalamov battled back in the next few rounds, but eventually Perez started beating him up pretty badly, and Abdusalamov's face told the tale, as he wondered at various times in his corner if his nose was broken or his face was swollen. His face was definitely swollen, and by the end of the fight, there definitely looked to be something broken on the left side of his face, perhaps an orbital bone, perhaps something else.
Christ reported that Abdusalamov stayed in the fight, despite tiring and being physically damaged throughout, and it's not as if Perez didn't try to put him away. Both men showed a lot of heart and a lot of toughness, plus a pair of good chins and some power, taking one another's best shots and soldiering on. Perez was just too well-rounded a fighter, and won a decision on scores of 97-92, 97-92, and 95-94. BLH had it 96-93 for Perez.
Photo: Cuba's Perez (L) hits Abdulsalamov's jaw.
Comments
Share your thoughts on the above article by Ronnie Nathanielsz.