On Saturday, following his defeat to Chris Eubank Jr., Nick Blackwell has suffered a brain injury. No surgery is planned for Blackwell, who remains in an induced coma. After his 10th round stoppage loss to Eubank on Wembley Arena, Blackwell collapsed in the ring and left on a stretcher. The fighter suffered a brain injury and was rushed to the hospital.
According to Boxing News Online, a scan test performed on Sunday revealed that there was no increase in the pressure on Blackwell's brain. For this reason, the doctors decided that surgery is not required. Doctors are constantly monitoring his condition while the British fighter remains under sedation.
British Boxing Board of Control's general secretary, Robert Smith, announced that on Sunday morning, he spoke to one of the doctors and found out that there is bleeding in Nick Blackwell's brain. Smith added that Blackwell is in an induced coma, in intensive care. According to medical experts, an induced coma is a very normal procedure to reduce the brain swelling.
After Blackwell's left eye had all but closed, the ringside doctor has stopped the fight in the 10th round. After the result was announced, Blackwell collapsed.
According to The Guardian, Peter Hamlyn, a leading surgeon who has operated on other boxers with life-threatening head injuries, declared that it was clear by round seven that the British title fight should have stopped since Blackwell was beaten badly by Chris Eubank Jr. In 1991, the surgeon performed five operations on Michael Watson after the fighter suffered a brain injury in a match with Chris Eubank Sr.
Hamlyn said that from his perspective, it was clear that Blackwell had no chance of winning in the middleweight contest at Wembley Arena. The number of punches Eubank was landing on Blackwell was totally disproportional to what he was receiving. Blackwell's family released a statement on Monday, thanking the public for their messages of support and calling for privacy while the boxer is being treated.
