MONTREAL -- As Montreal boxer Adonis Stevenson remains in intensive care after a knockout punch this weekend, there are renewed criticisms of the sport.
After being rushed to hospital suffering from symptoms of a severe concussion, Stevenson was placed in a medically-induced coma at l'Enfant-Jesus de Quebec Hospital to relieve pressure on his brain.
On Monday afternoon, the Quebec City hospital confirmed his status has been upgraded to stable.
The incident is another blow to the sport that is often criticized for being too dangerous.
“Boxing is probably the sport where the goal is to damage the other one's brain,” said Alain Ptito, a professor of neurosurgery at McGill University.
The 48 hours after a brain injury are vital, as some side effects can take longer to appear, explained Ptito.
“You have to keep an eye if there's going to be even more damage. Hemorrhages, epilepsy, scar tissue,” he said.
Former middleweight champion Otis Grant trained alongside Adonis Stevenson and was ringside when he went down in Quebec City Saturday night.
Getting rid of the sport isn't the way to go, said Grant.
“When an instance like this happens, the first thing they say it the sport is brutal, and they want to ban the sport,” he said.
Grant says there's no question boxing is dangerous, but there are safety checks that happen behind-the-scenes of which many people aren’t aware.
“A fighter has to his medical exam, do blood tests, had to get a brain or a CT scan of the brain every now and then,” said Patrick Denis, technical director of the Quebec Olympic Boxing Federation.
Denis met Stevenson in the ring and was knocked out by the heavy hitter.
“I was down for 30 seconds, and I was trying to get back up, my legs did respond,” he said.
As part of the Quebec Boxing Federation that oversees amateur athletes, Denis says it has stricter safety regulations for young fighters, including shorter rounds and protective headgear.
One of the most important differences, he said, is the referee's priorities.
“The referees are in the ring for the safety first of the boxer. It's not a show. It's not a business,” he said.
