By Jody Kohn
After being placed in a medically induced coma on Monday, Russian heavyweight Magomed Abdusalamov remained in “stable” condition. He suffered a brain injury during his savage fight with Mike Perez on Saturday night. Perez commented on the issue Monday.
“Mago is in my thoughts and prayers and I hope he recovers quickly,” Perez said in a statement. “He fought like a true warrior. I’m happy to be victorious but my main concern is for his health.”
Perez was the victor in a 10-round unanimous decision against Abdusalamov in a violent affair that was part of the televised undercard of the Gennady Golovkin title defense against Curtis Stevens on HBO. The contest took place in New York at the world famous Madison Square Garden.
For Magomed Abdusalamov, it was his first loss in 19 career fights. He had won all of his previous bouts by knockout. During the fight, he appeared to suffer a broken hand, as well as a broken nose. Additionally, he suffered numerous cuts and bruises.
Following the fight, he was taken to the hospital to receive treatment. Complaining of a headache, it was discovered that he had some bleeding in his brain. He then went through brain surgery to remove the blood clot. A small piece of his skull had to be removed to help reduce the swelling in his brain. As part of the process, he was put in a medically induced coma.
Nathan Lewkowicz, vice president of Sampson Boxing, which is the promoter for the Russian fighter, said on Monday night that he was in stable condition.
“Still stable in [intensive care], and his temperature is down to normal from where it was [Sunday], which was 104,” Lewkowicz said.
“Our entire team was very saddened to hear of the injuries that Magomed sustained during his bout on Saturday night,” said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions, Golovkin’s promoter, which promoted the card. “He is in our thoughts and prayers and we thank his team for keeping us updated on his condition.”
Mike Perez improved his record to 20-0 with the victory. The Cuban defector received the nod from the judges by scores of 97-92, 97-92, and 95-94.
