The is a cloud over proceedings on the morning of the big fight in Las Vegas after Z Gorres, a Filipino bantamweight, was place into an induced coma after collapsing after winning on the Top Rank show at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay last night.
Gorres was one of four Filipino boxers on the bill because Manny Pacquiao is in town and was a one-sided ten rounds points winner over Juan Melendez, of Colombia. Only one of the three judges had given Melendez any of the first nine rounds, but with about 30 seconds to go, a fast left cross put Gorres on the floor. He beat the count and held on to survive the round and claim his win.
Afterwards he posed for pictures with a Filipino flag, but he appeared to be getting dizzy and collapsed when he returned to his corner. He was rushed from the ring on a stretcher and taken straight to hospital, where he was operated on the relieve swelling on the left side of his brain.
Sources close to the boxer said he was likely to be in the coma for several days, which is normal procedure for such an injury. Some reports said that Gorres suffered a blood clot, but I have not seen that confirmed.
I was at the bout and Gorres barely took any clean punches in the whole contest until the knockdown. When Gorres knocked the Colombian down in round 3, it seemed to be headed for a quick night and even the boxers in the swing bout were told to get warmed up.
Our thoughts are with Gorres and his family and hope he makes a fast and complete recovery.
