American boxer Oscar Diaz is to undergo brain surgery after collapsing during his fight with Delvin Rodriguez on Wednesday night.
In a bout for the USBA welterweight title, Diaz rose from his stool to begin the 11th round but became wobbly and crashed to the canvas.
Referee Robert Gonzalez immediately signaled for the bell, halting the bout, and medical personnel rushed into the ring to attend to the 25-year-old.
‘He was breathing and he has a blood pressure,’ ringside physician Dr. Wayne Lee told the San Antonio Express News. ‘But he was not responding to our commands.’
A native of San Antonio, Diaz was removed from the ring on a stretcher and taken to University Hospital, a Level One trauma centre, where he was to undergo surgery to relieve swelling and bleeding on the brain.
‘He's unconscious and on a ventilator. It's not good,’ Star Boxing promoter Ron Katz told ESPN.com. ‘Obviously, he's in all of our prayers.’
Prior to the frightening incident, Diaz - whose record fell to 26-3 as a result of the technical-knockout loss - had suffered considerable damage at the hands of Rodriguez, his right eye was nearly swollen completely shut.
The 28-year-old Rodriguez (23-2-1, 14 KOs) was more concerned about his opponent's well-being than his victory.
‘This was the biggest night of my life, but also the saddest. I hope I never experience anything like this again,’ Rodriguez told the Express News. ‘It was hard seeing this, especially when it's someone as tough and nice as Oscar Diaz. I'm praying for him right now, and I'll be praying for him all night.’
Known as a brawler, Diaz had been in several hard-hitting bouts of late. He took a tremendous beating in losing his NABF welterweight title to Golden Johnson in November 2006, then had his next fight against Juan Manuel Buendia in July 2007 stopped in the first round due to an accidental head butt.
