Nick Blackwell could be brought out of coma on Tuesday as family confirm boxer is 'not deteriorating'
Blackwell has been in a medically-induced coma since Saturday night after suffering a small bleed on the brain
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Your support makes all the difference.British boxer Nick Blackwell could be brought out of his medically-induced coma on Tuesday after a family spokesman confirmed his condition is “not deteriorating” following the injuries he suffered during his fight against Chris Eubank Jr at the weekend.
25-year-old Blackwell suffered a small bleed on the brain during Saturday night’s fight, and he was taken to hospital after the bout was stopped in the 10th round following a barrage of punches from Eubank Jr.
Blackwell was taken from the ring on a stretcher while receiving oxygen, and was placed into a coma in a bid to reduce swelling caused by the small bleed.
Speaking to the BBC, a family spokesman confirmed that Blackwell remained “heavily sedated” but added that his condition was not getting any worse, and suggested that doctors could look to bring him out of his coma on Tuesday.
Suggestions that the fight should have been stopped sooner have been dismissed by the British Board of Boxing Control, who have confirmed that they are satisfied with how referee Victor Loughlin handled the bout despite questions being asked of whether it could have been stopped sooner.
The former middleweight and super middleweight world champion, Chris Eubank, was heard telling his son not to target Blackwell’s head any more from the start of the eighth round due to the damage that the Trowbridge-born boxer had suffered, with the fight eventually stopped because Blackwell could not see out of his left eye.
Eubank said at the end of round seven: “If the referee doesn’t stop it, then I don’t know what to tell you, but I will tell you this: one, if he doesn’t stop it and we keep on beating him like this, he is getting hurt; two, if it goes to a decision, why didn’t the referee stop the fight? I don’t get why.
“So maybe you shouldn’t leave it to the referee. So you’re not going to take him out to the face – you’re going to take him out to the body.”
Eubank Jr also questioned the referees timing of the stoppage, with the 26-year-old admitting afterwards: "I hit him with some big shots. Maybe the referee should have stopped the fight earlier."
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