Junior welterweight contender Maxim Dadashev had to be hospitalized right after a loss on July 20.
Dadashev suffered a subdural hematoma as a result of a grueling fight against Subriel Matias that was part of the main card for a Top Rank card streamed on ESPN+ from Oxon Hill, Maryland. The fight was a title eliminator for the IBF 140-pound title, Matias won.
The 28-year-old spent much of the fight receiving hard punches from Matias while trying to outbox him but failed in many of the rounds. The fight was stopped once the 11th round ended as Dadashev appeared to be in no condition to fight. Trainer Buddy McGirt threw in the towel to end the fight and Dadashev then left the arena on a stretcher and was taken to UM Prince George's Hospital Center.
According to Steve Kim from ESPN, at 2:25 a.m. ET, neurosurgeon Mary IH Cobb told Dadashev's manager Egis Klimas and strength and conditioning coach Donatas Janusevicius that the boxer had suffered a brain bleed on his right side, that his head was shaved and his scalp opened up, and that he was showing signs of severe brain damage. He had been given medication to decrease swelling. Shortly thereafter, the Russian boxer went into surgery for two hours to relieve the bleeding of his brain.
The last eight months have seen a number of boxers face similar injuries immediately after fights. Back in December, Adonis Stevenson had to be taken to the hospital and put in a medically-induced coma after being knocked out by Oleksandr Gvozdyk in a WBC light heavyweight title fight. Although at one point Stevenson was in critical condition, he has since made a remarkable recovery. Other boxers who suffered brain injuries in recent months include Felipe Orucuta and Zab Judah and both have also made progress in their respective recoveries.
