CZAR Amonsot’s boxing career just might be over.
But his unanimous decision loss to the undefeated Australian WBO interim lightweight champion Michael Katsidis yesterday is not the reason, it’s the subdural hematoma (blood clot in the brain) he suffered after getting down twice in his failed quest for the crown.
The Boholano boxer is currently in a Las Vegas hospital intensive care unit (ICU) although, doctors in Las Vegas said it was not a life-threatening case.
However, what may ruin the day for Amonsot’s fans is that the injury may end his boxing career.
“It is the Standard Operating Procedure in Las Vegas that once a fighter is knocked out or knocked down, he has to undergo a CT scan. What they found out in the result was a bleeding and they are waiting for a specialist to look into that (result). Right now Amonsot is in the ICU. I am just glad that they said it was not a life-threatening injury,” Amonsot’s mentor Antonio Lopez Aldeguer told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday.
After the decision was announced, ringside physician Jeff Davidson ordered Amonsot to go to the hospital for a neurological examination.
Keith Kizer, the executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission announced Amonsot was found to have suffered a bleeding in his brain as the doctors discovered the subdural hematoma.
According to Dr. Jose Unabia, Games and Amusement Board (GAB) Cebu office’s accredited ring physician, Amonsot’s injury is an accumulation of blood in the brain.
“The impact of the punches on his (Amonsot) head must have ruptured a blood vessel and somewhere in his brain there was bleeding. Luckily for him he was in the US if that had happened here, he might be in danger. But admittedly it is a career-threatening injury,” Unabia told Sun.Star in a separate interview.
Two-year rest
However, Amonsot’s career could not be all lost as he needs to rest for one or two years to completely heal his injury.
But knowing Aldeguer and the principle of the ALA Gym, Katsidis could be Amonsot’s last opponent.
“We will try to evaluate things. As I said, I am thankful that it is not a life-threatening injury but we are always concerned of our boxer’s life and health. We will have to talk it over and evaluate what will be the findings of the doctors in Las Vegas,” said Aldeguer.
Amonsot lost by unanimous decision after suffering two knockdowns—one in the second round and the other on the 10th. He was also deducted a point on the ninth round for an accidental headbutt.
Ruben Garcia scored 116-110; Patricia Morse Jarman tallied 114-112; and C.J. Ross counted 115-111 all for Katsidis, who looked more like the beaten fighter as the Australian fighter’s left eye was badly swollen. The champion also had a nasty cut below his right eye.
But Amonsot’s defeat was caused by his carelessness and his inability to keep his cool.
His knockdown on the second round was caused when he tried to engage Katsidis in a brawl, while the one on the 10th was caused by his inability to get out of a difficult situation as the Australian threw a volume of punches on his head.
However, in totality, Amonsot was the better fighter among the two as the damage on Katsidis’ face made him look like he was wearing a grotesque mask.
“It was a tough fight, but that’s the way I like to win them. I said I was going to introduce new blood to the sport, and I guess you saw a lot of new blood,” Katsidis told The Associated Press.
Amonsot dropped to 18-3-1, 10 KOs while Katsidis, who is now looking forward to fighting Juan Diaz improved 23-0, 20 KOs.
