Tag Archives: coma

Posted on 10/13/2019

By: Hans Themistode

Update: Patrick Day suffered a traumatic brain injury during his bout on Saturday night. He was rushed to Northwestern Memorial hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. As of Sunday evening, Patrick is in a coma caused by the injury and is in extremely critical condition. On behalf of Patrick’s team, we appreciate the outpouring of support, prayers, and offers of assistance from all corners of the boxing community.

Updates will be provided as circumstances change. In the meantime, we ask that the privacy of Patrick and his family be respected during this difficult time.

Patrick Day, a Jr Middleweight contender suffered a brutal knockout at the hands of Charles Conwell this past Saturday night at the Wintrust arena in Chicago. The bout took place on the undercard of former undisputed Cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk as he made his Heavyweight debut.

From the very start of the contest, Conwell proved to be the superior fighter. Day hit the canvas in both the fourth and eight rounds as Conwell connected with clean right hands. Day showed tremendous heart to continue in a fight in which he was being outclassed in. His heart however, cost him severely.

In the tenth and final round, Charles landed a series of punches which saw Day hit the deck once again. Unlike previous times in the bout, he was unable to pick himself up off the ground. It was a barrage of right hands which started the damage, followed by a left hook that not only put Day down for the count, but also knocked him completely unconscious as his head banged against the canvas as he went down.

Day, who is 27 years of age, was unresponsive while doctors attended to him in the ring. He was eventually taken out of the building on a stretcher and immediately brought to the Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

While being transported to the hospital, it is reported that Day suffered a seizure as well. Although the seizures eventually subsided, Day had a hard time breathing on his own and was given a breathing tube to assist him.

Following his arrival to the hospital, Day reportedly slipped into a coma and underwent emergency brain surgery. It is unclear if the coma was induced by doctors in order to give him time to heal from his injuries or if he went into a coma naturally.

The Jr Middleweight contender has a long fighting history and was a standout during his amateur days before turning pro. Day won the 2012 New York Daily News Golden Gloves and was apart of the U.S. Olympic team as an alternate. Following a bumpy start as a pro, Day finally began to find his rhythm in the pro ranks as he won 6 straight contests before losing back to back contest to Carlos Adames in his last contest and of course being stopped in his most ring appearance last night.

Day has always been one of the nicest young men outside of the ring. His popularity has grown over the years. He is supported by the entire boxing community as some of the most recognized and biggest names in the sport voiced their support for him and his dire condition.

“My prayers are with Patrick Day and his family,” said WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman. “May God bless the doctors and medical staff treating him and give his family strength during these difficult moments.”

Sulaiman wasn’t the only high profile name who voiced their support for Day.

“Please pray for Patrick Day,” said promoter Lou Di Bella. “Please. Such a good person.”

For now we are all in wait and see mode as we patently await further updates to occur. With Days fighting spirit and the entire boxing community behind him, we all are hoping that he will soon make a full a recovery.

Posted on 12/24/2018

By: Sean Crose

Several weeks after suffering brain damage from a bout with Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Adonis Stevenson is reportedly out of a coma. “Despite recent reports being leaked to media,” Adonis Stevenson’s girlfriend, Simone “Sisi” God, said via a press statement, “I wanted to clarify that Adonis is awake. He is healing from his injury in the private company of his family and his dedicated medical team. Adonis is a world champion in the ring and is exhibiting that same grit, strength and determination in his recovery.” Earlier this month in Quebec City, the former WBC and lineal light heavyweight champion was stopped by Gvozdyk in a brutal, eleven round affair.

After the bout, the Canadian fighter was sent to Hopital de l’Enfant-Jesus via ambulance where doctors had him placed in a medically induced coma. Finally, the forty-one year old fighter’s condition appears to have improved. “Superman is a world champion,” states God in the press release, “and has demonstrated his strength in facing every obstacle he has ever faced. He is a legend in the eyes of his fans, and a man that demonstrates to his family daily that inner strength and love can change and redeem even the greatest of hardships.”

Recent reports had claimed that Stevenson’s condition had not changed. With that in mind, God’s press release is good news for Stevenson’s fans, and the fight world, as well. “Adonis and our family are so thankful to you all for your love and support,” God states, “and respectfully ask to continue to grant Adonis and our family privacy as he heals from this accident. With the holidays here, Adonis is spending time enjoying music and spending time with Adonia and his family and sends his love and appreciation to you all.” God gave birth to Stevenson’s daughter, his fifth child, this past autumn. It is the couples’ first child together.

Stevenson, who won the light heavyweight title by crushing Chad Dawson in less than a round back in 2013, held onto the championship for five years, successfully defending it a total of eight times. He fought twice this past year, battling Badu Jack to a draw in May before facing off against Gvozdyk on December 1st. People both in and out of the fight game have been publicly announcing their support for Stevenson and his family since that time.

“We are truly blessed,” God says in the statement, “by God and all of you for your support.”

Posted on 12/21/2018

By: Sean Crose

“Doctors do not venture an opinion on what lies ahead.”

With these words, Yvon Michel, promoter of former WBC and lineal light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson, made clear that the future of the Canadian fighter is uncertain. Stevenson, who had held the title since knocking out Chad Dawson in one round in 2013, was defeated by Oleksandr Gvozdyk in Quebec City on the first of December. Shortly after the fight, Stevenson was taken to Hopital de l’Enfant-Jesus. Doctor’s concluded that Stevenson had suffered a traumatic brain injury and was in need of surgery. A short time later, the fighter was placed in a medically induced coma, where he remains unconscious.

Unfortunately, there have been no signs of improvement in the fighter. Michel claims Stevenson “needs mechanical assistance to breathe.” It’s also being reported that those who suffer from the kinds of injuries Stevenson has often sustain lasting damage. “There is no change at the moment” Michel said. “He still needs mechanical assistance to breathe and he has not regained consciousness.” Although no official word has come from the hospital, Michel said that “”When there’s a significant change, the authorities of the Quebec University Hospital will announce it with the agreement of the family.”

During his reign, Stevenson was one of the more controversial champions in the sport, one who had a reputation, fair or not, of avoiding threatening competition. In his last two bouts, however, Stevenson fought not only the undefeated and well regarded Gvozdyk, but also the high level and popular fighter Badu Jack, who he battled to a draw in May of this year. Both fights were back to back grueling affairs waged by an aging fighter in his forties. Although he had Gvozdyk hurt in the 10th, the Ukrainian came back and unleashed a frightening combination in the 11th, sending Stevenson down in disturbing fashion in a corner, as the referee, Michael Griffin, stopped the fight.

Since being hospitalized, Steven has received much good will and support from the fight community. People such as Gvozdyk, Jack, Michael Buffer, Gennady Golovkin, Mauricio Sulaiman, Roberto Duran, Andrzej Fonfara, and Sergio Martinez have all publicly offered their prayers and best wishes. An exciting, hard hitting battler, Stevenson reigned as Kronk fighter, Kronk being the famed Detroit-based boxing stable led by the late, iconic trainer, Emanuel Steward. Stevenson, a father engaged to be married, has been fighting professionally since his debut in 2006.

Posted on 06/27/2017

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe Must Stop Ignoring the Prichard Colon Case

Virginia DPOR’s Handling of Case is a Black Eye for the State of Virginia
By Marc Londo

In Jorge Castillo’s recent Washington Post story “Prichard Colón has been in a vegetative state since 2015 bout, but his parents fight on,” the sad reality that stems from Colon’s ill-fated bout in Fairfax, Virginia, is profound. He is “trapped” in a broken body. The term “Unresponsive Wakefulness” has been part of popular discussion as a result of the recent Otto Warmbier case. Castillo’s story revealed Colon is showing some response but he remains in a vegetative state. Now, almost 2 years removed from that day, the family lacks the resources to give Prichard the care that he needs.

Pictured: Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe posing with the VMI Boxing Team. Photo Credit: VMI Cadet Life

Prichard’s case is soon going to be heard in a Washington D.C. courtroom. However, there is another branch of government that has been turning a deaf ear. There has not been a single word from Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe on the matter. While Virginia continues to employ controversial boxing commissioner David Holland, many are asking “what has changed?”

Governor McAuliffe enjoys the sport of boxing. Last February 27, 2016, before a rowdy sellout crowd at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., McAuliffe watched D.C. native Ty Barnett return from a near two year layoff to take on trial horse Daniel Attah. It was a brutal bout that saw Barnett floor the journeyman 3 times as the crowd roared its approval. By Round 8, Attah’s shaky legs could not hold him up any longer. He kept falling to the ground, only to attempt to re-engage. The fight eventually ended after the referee had enough. It was Attah’s ninth loss in a row and a rousing return for Barnett.

Nevertheless, the return of Ty Barnett was just a side note in a more significant story that McAuliffe bore witness to. That event marked the in-ring return of referee Joseph “Thunder” Cooper, a man under heavy scrutiny for his responsibility in Prichard Colon’s present vegetative state.

Was Governor McAuliffe aware that the last time Cooper refereed he donned a Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) patch for Colon’s ill-fated bout? Did he witness the more than 30 rabbit punches that left Colon in a persistent vegetative state?

Photo Credit: Wallace Barron

That nationally televised bout has been the subject of international scrutiny since Colon was left fighting for his life. Four days after Prichard Colon fought Terrel Williams, the Washington Post announced the DPOR had launched an official investigation. Consequently, Cooper was a focus since he was overheard telling Colon repeatedly – seven times – “you take care of it” as Colon protested the back-of-the-head “rabbit” punches. In the days that followed, the DPOR said it would investigate “the situation, the incident and the cause.” With a public campaign around the cause of Colon’s coma, why wasn’t Joseph Cooper on Governor McAuliffe’s radar that night?

The optics are troublesome. McAuliffe has kept a relatively high-profile in the boxing community, whether he’s seen out with the likes of Don King and Gerry Cooney or posing for photo ops with the VMI Boxing team. However, as Colon was left fighting for his life, he didn’t once acknowledge him. When Prichard Colon’s circumstances grew dire, many well-known personalities offered their prayers and concern. But McAuliffe was invisible. Why? It’s not every day so much attention is focused on Fairfax, Virginia. To be such a boxing fan that he would attend a small local boxing card, the idea that the Governor would not be aware of such a high profile incident seems a stretch. It’s also a stretch that Joseph Cooper would not catch his attention. At the time, Cooper was still perceived as a central figure in the DPOR’s public inquest. As a reporter following this beat, I was corresponding with DPOR Deputy Director Nick Christner regularly. On February 8, Christner assured me that their office was still investigating and they were just weeks from a conclusion.

That proved to be false. It would be much longer before the DPOR released anything regarding these public efforts. English and Spanish media had been checking in weekly. In the meantime, McAuliffe sat ringside as a man that was under public scrutiny by his administration refereed another fight in Washington D.C.

Something was amiss. After a later request in March for an update, Christner unexpectedly responded with a ‘mea culpa’ (on March 15), clarifying his report was not an investigation. He described it as a descriptive internal document, stating, “Hi. In no certain order, later this week, I will have something to give you regarding my internal review,” he wrote. “It’s not an ‘investigation’ and was primarily completed for our use. As of now, I don’t plan on doing any interviews,” adding, “mostly because my review was for our internal use and this was not an investigation trying to determine many different things, like much of the public has thought/expected.”

“NOT AN INVESTIGATION TRYING TO DETERMINE MANY DIFFERENT THINGS…”

Christner further replied that his performance ‘review’ of referee Joseph Cooper and ringside doctor Richard Ashby was done (by himself) using footage that he accessed through Facebook. When asked for clarification on his statement that the DPOR report was not in fact an investigation that sought “to determine” Christner offered no response. Instead, the very next morning, the DPOR swiftly issued a press release that they inexplicably titled “Investigation Report.” It was a significant shift in language from Christner’s emails, and it offered an actual decision regarding the performances of the DPOR’s hired (and appointed) officials, decreeing “while Colon’s medical condition following the contest against Williams is tragic, there is not one action so apparent and/or egregious to justify laying blame to any one person.”

As the author of that document, Christner privately wasn’t comfortable making public his impressions of how the referee, ringside doctor, and commissioner performed that day. Yet, its presentation by the department as an investigation implied their officials were not at fault. The lack of independent experts to analyze the fight footage was problematic but the Virginia DPOR’s misrepresentation of Christner’s review was outright deception. Hall of Fame referee Larry Hazzard Sr. has been outspoken about Cooper’s “incompetence” in the fight, particularly regarding his “reluctance to enforce the rules by utilizing the point deductions and DQ options at his disposal.” Dr. John Stiller, sitting board member on the Association of Ringside Physicians, publicly denounced the performance of Doctor Ashby, saying “after Prichard went down in the 7th Round, the fight should have been stopped at that moment and I still cannot think of a medically sound reason it wasn’t.”

Nevertheless, the DPOR’s questionable document has woven its way into the narrative of the event. Commissions in other states look at rulings in other jurisdictions, so the Christner review offered the appearance of a pardon for the DPOR officials. Even though Washington D.C. hasn’t used Referee Cooper since the co-promoted Mayweather Promotions and Head Bangers Boxing card on April 1, 2016, the Chairperson for the D.C. Boxing and Wrestling Commission, Adam Weers, says the Christner review is a factor in whether to allow him to referee there. In seeking further clarification on why Christner pivoted so quickly on his stance that his review was not “an investigation trying to determine,” I contacted his supervisor Jay DeBoer, a legal consultant appointed by Governor McAuliffe as Director of the DPOR. His response raised more troubling questions about the DPOR’s capacity to regulate their boxing program.

DeBoer admitted he overruled Christner and ordered an “Investigation Report” sent out. When probed on the reports lack of expert testimony, referencing what Hazzard Sr. said about the performance of Joseph Cooper, DeBoer was defensive, claiming that any conclusion would be subjective. He said “by law, the DPOR’s regulatory jurisdiction extends only to licensees, not to vendors (contract referees and contract physicians) and not to employees, including David Holland.”

Essentially, DeBoer said the actions of his staff were beyond reproach or discipline, regardless of what Williams was permitted to do in the ring. Without explaining how over 30 illegal rabbit punches can be considered subjective, DeBoer deflected any and all responsibility, and avoided an important question: If no one with a Virginia DPOR patch on their shirt can be held accountable, why did their department go out of their way to absolve their employees in a faux investigation, which in itself was subjective?

THE TONE DEAF ATTITUDE IN VIRGINIA IN OUR CURRENT CTE LANDSCAPE

In the current national climate surrounding head injuries in contact sports, the answer to that question was obvious. As Governor McAuliffe has said, “Everybody in this public arena makes statements and gets interpreted different ways.” By releasing their ‘official’ report, the Virginia DPOR was attempting to muddy the narrative surrounding the fight as the number of critics continued to mount. To this day, their department has not released the files they based their analysis on. Even though DeBoer claimed his department offered their conclusions in the “spirit of transparency,” the interviews the DPOR conducted with Williams, Ashby, Cooper, and others remain sealed because the Colons refused to participate. We submitted a Freedom of Information request for the case file, which was subsequently denied.

The contradictions that surround McAuliffe and the DPOR are incomprehensible. On the 5th of May 2017, ESPN’s Outside The Lines reported the Colons filed suit on ringside Dr. Richard Ashby for medical malpractice as well as event co-promoters Head Bangers Boxing and DiBella Entertainment, for negligence. When contacted by ESPN, the Virginia DPOR once again refused a Freedom of Information request to see their case files and re-asserted that the DPOR doesn’t license or discipline ring doctors and referees (or their Program Administrator, Holland). They claim the case to be still open since the Colons wouldn’t talk to them and added that their files were off limits to the public. Meanwhile, Governor McAuliffe has been equally evasive. He’s made no attempt to contact the Colons. No hospital visit. Not so much as a tweet. In the time he took to go to the fights in Washington D.C., he could have made either gesture.

At best, McAuliffe has shown a remarkable lack of good common sense. At worst, he views these athletes as fodder, who are just good for entertainment. So, given the roadblocks that the DPOR has put in place, what are we to expect will change in Virginia? DPOR Program Administrator (acting commissioner) David Holland hasn’t had to answer for his actions that day. It was Holland’s claims that Prichard Colon was “stalling” and “faking” that had untold influence over how his staff performed that bout. Is it so unreasonable to conclude that his accusations might have persuaded the ringside doctor to ignore obvious signs of brain trauma, as Colon gestured to the base of his neck and complained of dizziness? How could they not? A system of accountability must be in place in Virginia. If just one official in Fairfax would have been competent, Colon would still be of sound body and mind.

There is no place in professional boxing for Virginia DPOR Program Administrator David Holland. Unlike Governor McAuliffe’s Redskins, Boxers don’t have equipment to mitigate the lasting effects of illegal head blows. CTE and TBI is a very real threat. However, the Virginia PR campaign and its adherence to the status quo is an even bigger threat. The fact that the state has put no measures in place to ensure this will never happen again is madness in the current era of sports medicine. It’s almost as crazy as allowing Holland to remain in power as the acting commissioner of Virginia boxing. The idea this cavalier behavior would come from a Governor that has engaged the boxing community for public photo ops is unbelievable. Instead of sending out more propaganda, McAuliffe and his appointees should be doing all they can to make their rings safer.