Magomed Abdusalamov is still a fighter

[Tanzio]

I had a good friend who was a doctor at St Vincents hospital in lower Manhattan where they brought him. I tried to call him a few days after to ask him how Mago was doing - and I was told on the phone that my friend - he was a young guy! - had just passed away!

That always sucks. "Life is short" any way you slice it.

[Ilya Muromets]

I had a good friend who was a doctor at St Vincents hospital in lower Manhattan where they brought him. I tried to call him a few days after to ask him how Mago was doing - and I was told on the phone that my friend - he was a young guy! - had just passed away!

That always sucks. "Life is short" any way you slice it.

It seems real long when you're living through it - but when you look back on it it, it all went by in a flash. Ask any old timer if that isn't the truth.

[punchoutsb]

What a fight he's put up, though.

I related to him the most of any boxer because he reminded me of myself. When I was boxing I hit harder than the heavyweight champ according to my old time NYC trainer, but he also allowed that I didn't know what the hell I was doing, and I wasn't interested in defense, boring subject. I even had the same hair do when I shaved my head. Had I gone on that could well have been me.

I hear what you're saying. I'm a big guy and I hit hard (though I never drew any comparisons such as yourself received) and I had a good chin. I was knocked down once by a liver shot and that was the extent of my canvas time. I did, however, pick up four concussions with the last one being the most serious. The last one was actually picked up in a mixed martial arts bout. They had no medical help on hand or anything being a small regional show in a state WITHOUT an athletic commission. After the fight I gave the most brief and unintelligible interview you've ever heard (which I later learned aroused laughter from the crowd...I didn't hear it live) and went out and laid down on the side walk. I threw up twice. After about an hour a random lady came over and asked me if she should call 9-1-1. I said no and that was that. I got a ride home with a friend about four hours later and after recovery and finding out exactly what had happened I decided to retire. I did end up lacing up the gloves one more time, but I realized my heart wasn't in it anymore. I know what you mean when you say that could have been you. Tragic.

[Ilya Muromets]

What a fight he's put up, though.

I related to him the most of any boxer because he reminded me of myself. When I was boxing I hit harder than the heavyweight champ according to my old time NYC trainer, but he also allowed that I didn't know what the hell I was doing, and I wasn't interested in defense, boring subject. I even had the same hair do when I shaved my head. Had I gone on that could well have been me.

I hear what you're saying. I'm a big guy and I hit hard (though I never drew any comparisons such as yourself received) and I had a good chin. I was knocked down once by a liver shot and that was the extent of my canvas time. I did, however, pick up four concussions with the last one being the most serious. The last one was actually picked up in a mixed martial arts bout. They had no medical help on hand or anything being a small regional show in a state WITHOUT an athletic commission. After the fight I gave the most brief and unintelligible interview you've ever heard (which I later learned aroused laughter from the crowd...I didn't hear it live) and went out and laid down on the side walk. I threw up twice. After about an hour a random lady came over and asked me if she should call 9-1-1. I said no and that was that. I got a ride home with a friend about four hours later and after recovery and finding out exactly what had happened I decided to retire. I did end up lacing up the gloves one more time, but I realized my heart wasn't in it anymore. I know what you mean when you say that could have been you. Tragic.

That sounds too much like what happened to Mago! You didn't even have anyone to help you. All the promoters and officials and refs and interviewers and whatever in that place they just ignored you huh? They just thought it was funny that you weren't too coherent after getting hit so hard. Damn. What rats. Thank God you are OK...you are OK I hope. Are there any problems you still have from that?

We were young and we felt so strong and our bodies felt so great and responsive and we thought we were invulnerable...

[punchoutsb]

What a fight he's put up, though.

I related to him the most of any boxer because he reminded me of myself. When I was boxing I hit harder than the heavyweight champ according to my old time NYC trainer, but he also allowed that I didn't know what the hell I was doing, and I wasn't interested in defense, boring subject. I even had the same hair do when I shaved my head. Had I gone on that could well have been me.

I hear what you're saying. I'm a big guy and I hit hard (though I never drew any comparisons such as yourself received) and I had a good chin. I was knocked down once by a liver shot and that was the extent of my canvas time. I did, however, pick up four concussions with the last one being the most serious. The last one was actually picked up in a mixed martial arts bout. They had no medical help on hand or anything being a small regional show in a state WITHOUT an athletic commission. After the fight I gave the most brief and unintelligible interview you've ever heard (which I later learned aroused laughter from the crowd...I didn't hear it live) and went out and laid down on the side walk. I threw up twice. After about an hour a random lady came over and asked me if she should call 9-1-1. I said no and that was that. I got a ride home with a friend about four hours later and after recovery and finding out exactly what had happened I decided to retire. I did end up lacing up the gloves one more time, but I realized my heart wasn't in it anymore. I know what you mean when you say that could have been you. Tragic.

That sounds too much like what happened to Mago! You didn't even have anyone to help you. All the promoters and officials and refs and interviewers and whatever in that place they just ignored you huh? They just thought it was funny that you weren't too coherent after getting hit so hard. Damn. What rats. Thank God you are OK...you are OK I hope. Are there any problems you still have from that?

We were young and we felt so strong and our bodies felt so great and responsive and we thought we were invulnerable...

I was a little stupid too as I traveled alone to this specific fight. It was kind of last minute. I had no team with me, actually just picked some guys from the crowd to work my corner. No one checked on me aside from the one older gal. The only left over effect I have from those days is constant ringing in my right ear. I was still working on my undergrad at the time and believe me, the times I was more active in the ring/cage my grades suffered.

I've had a very fortunate and blessed life, but watching the record of the audience laughing at my "interview" was a very chilling moment in retrospect. At the time it meant nothing, and even in the few years after I could see the humor. I don't anymore, it was pretty heartless.

Now I'm using my brain to earn a PhD rather than to stop punches! I hope you suffer no ill effects from any of your history either my friend.

[Ilya Muromets]

I'm OK, brother - and it is great to hear that you are doing so well. I'm afraid you came very very close to being where Mago is now. If you feel you need some help with the tinnitus pm me because I had that and I know how utterly maddening it can be. I hope yours is not that bad, but I did have it pretty damn bad and I beat it (knock on wood - head!), so if there's anything I can do to help let me know.

[jbizzle20]

I agree it's sad to watch but it's also great to see Mago get some movement back and that he hasn't lost the spirit. Esteves could have been black listed as a ref for what he let go in that fight. Mago took way too much of beating than should have ever been allowed.

[Ron C]

Very sad to watch. I used to watch his sparring when he was in Florida like 6 Years Ago. I watched him with Fres Oquendo, Oliver McCall, Richard Hall, it was great. Watched him split this dude James Bryant's eye as well. Fun times I'll never forget

[crusader]

"Nearly four years after boxer Magomed Abdusalamov suffered brain damage from a bout in the Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York State has agreed to pay him and his family $22 million"

http://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/2 ... york-state

[Boxerbeetle]

Glad to hear his family have got some financial justice, if nothing else.

[dagilechia]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh13vaZHpnk - July 2014
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUXkjFNFn0r ... by=magbak1 - May 2017

it seems like Mago has some improvement (still it's terrbile and sad to look at it), I hope he's gonna do even better

[Evander]

I remember that fight it got quite brutal at times.
Glad to hear Mago's family will get some financial relief I can't imagine the times they must have gone through since then.

[candyslim]

I often watch you-tube videos of a particular heavyweight and yesterday by chance it was Victor Bisbal. One of them was him getting knocked out in five rounds by Mago. To come on this thread after coincidentally watching him as a prime physical fighter at the peak of his powers is very poignant and makes you question why you love this sport. I really hope things get better for him and his family.

[littlepug]

great news that Magomed and his family are getting some financial support although I had hoped that the boxing community ( specifically his promoters K2) would of looked after him a bit more these past 4 years

[lefty]

Super happy to hear that. Cant regenerate his brain but he now can have the best medical treatment and his wife and family can feel financially secure.

Good on that guy who rented his house out to them for free for the last 4 years aswell. A lot of boxing community seemed to have abandoned them which was poor form.

[gilgamesh]

I don't know if the Boxing community has abandoned them exactly. There's been a few other guys since Mago unfortunately that have suffered some similarly horrible injuries like this.

Prichard Colon for example.

[lefty]

I don't know if the Boxing community has abandoned them exactly. There's been a few other guys since Mago unfortunately that have suffered some similarly horrible injuries like this.

Prichard Colon for example.

Well not them specifically I guess. The boxing fraternity doesnt do a great job of supporting boxers who end up in a vegetative state. The Colon situation is super sad aswell and I hope he also gets justice.

[gilgamesh]

I don't know if the Boxing community has abandoned them exactly. There's been a few other guys since Mago unfortunately that have suffered some similarly horrible injuries like this.

Prichard Colon for example.

Well not them specifically I guess. The boxing fraternity doesnt do a great job of supporting boxers who end up in a vegetative state. The Colon situation is super sad aswell and I hope he also gets justice.

What exactly can anybody do about it? The medical bills for these guys must be astronomical. It's a damn shame, but I mean people could donate until they don't have a penny left to their name, and they probably wouldn't even be making a drop in the bucket to cover the expenses some of these guys have after something like this.

[lefty]

I don't know if the Boxing community has abandoned them exactly. There's been a few other guys since Mago unfortunately that have suffered some similarly horrible injuries like this.

Prichard Colon for example.

Well not them specifically I guess. The boxing fraternity doesnt do a great job of supporting boxers who end up in a vegetative state. The Colon situation is super sad aswell and I hope he also gets justice.

What exactly can anybody do about it? The medical bills for these guys must be astronomical. It's a damn shame, but I mean people could donate until they don't have a penny left to their name, and they probably wouldn't even be making a drop in the bucket to cover the expenses some of these guys have after something like this.

Im not talking so much the boxers but the very wealthy promoters.

[dagilechia]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOUfb6Q94rE - anyone seen this video? he looks significantly better on this one

[littlepug]

really pleased he has made some improvement, true fighter

[Ilya Muromets]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOUfb6Q94rE - anyone seen this video? he looks significantly better on this one

Oh he looks MUCH better now! I am happy to see that. He is so lucky to to have such a loving wife and friends and family. I related to Mago more than any other boxer. Same size and build and strong power...and disinterest in defense. Even the same hairdo for a while. That could have been me.

I never got over the way the rats at MSG treated him. Handed him and his corner a piece paper and said good luck go outside and try to find a cab. Then they sent them out into jam packed rush hour midtown New York City, a city that they were completeily unfamiliar with and didn't even speak the language. They didn't know how to even get a cab. Finally stranger hailed a cab and was nice enough to let them have it. They got to the hospital and got out of the cab and walked to the hospital and then they had to wait on a long line, whereas if they had arrived in an ambulance they would have been immediately rushed into the emergency room. When they finally got to the front of the line to try to explain, even though they didn't speak English, that Mago was a boxer who was badly injured in his fight in Madison Square Garden, and by that time he was already in very bad shape. He could have been saved so much if he had been treated quickly. Melvina Lathan was there sitting on he?r fat ass throughout. Wlad Klitschko ran that show didn't he? I don't think he helped out Mago at all but correct me if I'm wrong.

[Ilya Muromets]

Mago broke his hand in round one. If only he didn't how different things would be now. He might have been the heavyweight champ or top contender now. The two saddest words in the English language: if only.

[jamamb]

feel bad for mago but doubt he wouldve been a champ or top contender, even in this weak division. some of worst defense ive seen. he simply couldnt avoid punches. ancient mccline dropped him hard. perez was just plain better and that led to the beating.

obv long, long way to go but he slowly looks better. hope to see him improve a lot more.

[Tony1244]

He has gotten his size back and looks much better. Keep Improving !