Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
Junior middleweight boxer Patrick Day is fighting for his life following a brutal 10th round knockout suffered in his fight against Charles Conwell on DAZN’s Usyk vs. Witherspoon undercard on Saturday night.
Day was knocked down twice by Conwell before getting absolutely smashed in the final volley, absorbing a big overhand to the temple and a left to the jaw which left him unconscious on his feet. Day’s head bounced off the canvas hard and video showed the New York native breathing shallow with his eyes open as medical staff worked to revive him.
Day never regained consciousness after hitting the canvas and was stretchered out of the ring into an ambulance which rushed him to the hospital. The New York Daily News reported he suffered multiple seizures on the way, and Northwestern Memorial Hospital doctors were forced to insert a breathing tube and perform emergency brain surgery. The junior middleweight currently remains in a medically induced coma.
You can see the second knockdown and knockout here. We warn you, it’s not pretty.
If it feels like there’s been a lot of bad news like this in boxing lately, you wouldn’t be wrong. Five boxers have died in the past 12 months from head trauma suffered in the ring, with Russian Maxim Dadashev being the highest profile.
That number doesn’t include fighters suffering brain damage and nearly dying, like Adonis Stevenson. As with Day, Stevenson was placed in a medically induced coma. 10 months later, he’s walking, talking, and slowly recovering – although he’ll never fight again. Let’s pray for a similar result with Day.
Patrick Day is a former Golden Gloves champion and 2012 Olympic alternate. His record stands at 17-4-1.