Light heavyweight boxer Joe George Jr. collapsed late in the night Sunday, between the first and second rounds, during his fight with Atif Oberlton at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena.
After suffering a clash of heads during the first round, George Jr. went to his corner after the end of the round, where his coach sat him down and began giving him water when his body went completely limp and he crashed to the canvas.
The terrifying scene immediately forced the end of the bout.
George Jr. regained consciousness and was able to share a brief moment with his opponent before being carried out on a stretcher.
Oberlton was declared the winner by TKO with George Jr. unable to continue.
George Jr. is reportedly in stable condition after he was taken to a Detroit hospital and given further medical attention.
Oberlton later revealed to ESPN what George Jr. told him after he had collapsed.
“Just like, ‘I got love for you, bro.’ It’s cool,” Oberlton told ESPN’s Eric Woodyard about the in-ring discussion. “I just wanted to make sure he was safe.”
George Jr. will presumably undergo further testing to clear him of any serious injuries to his brain.
That he is considered to be in stable condition is a positive sign, as boxers who deal with the risk of blows need to be cleared of any sort of brain bleed.
George Jr. is now 13-2 with the loss, as he fought on Claressa Shields’ undercard.
Shields defeated Franchon Crews-Dezurn by unanimous decision to retain her undisputed women’s heavyweight championship.