Doctors say that Teofimo López is “lucky not to be dead” after the fight in which he fought with air in his chest and lost 4 boxing belts

Posted: Dec 5, 2021 01:44 GMT

The former champion admitted that he had presented health problems before the fight against George Kambosos, but that he decided not to alert the doctors due to the fear that the event would be canceled.

The American boxer Teófimo López held a fight last week against the Australian George Kambosos in which he tried to defend his lightweight belts from the World Boxing Organization (WBO), World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF) ) and The Ring magazine title, though he ended up losing the fight by split decision.

Now, the doctors who examined the former champion after the event affirm that the athlete risked his life by leaving the ‘ring’ at Madison Square Garden, ESPN reports. Lopez had “extensive air in the retropharyngeal space” and was diagnosed with pneumomediastinum. In this context, the otolaryngologist Linda Dahl stated that “the air surrounded his chest wall, his heart and his neck, places where there is supposed to be no air.” The doctor adds that the boxer could have developed a pneumothorax from having suffered a blow to the neck or chest “in a certain way, in a certain place.” “I would have fallen instantly and could not breathe, I would have needed a chest tube, “he said.

The diagnosis was complicated by López’s asthma and the consequences of the coronavirus he contracted in June. Doctors determined that the cause of the medical condition was a small tear in the esophagus.

Dahl indicated that the boxer “surely could have died”, adding that he “cannot even explain” how he breathed. “It’s as if someone had tied him one set of 300 pound weights [más de 130 kilogramos] around the chest […] as if his neck and chest were in a vise, “he said. The executive director of the New York Head and Neck Institute, Peter Constantino, also expressed himself in this sense.”He’s lucky he’s not dead. […] I mean, very lucky, “he said.

The fighter said that after the weigh-in that took place on Friday last week he began to experience breathing difficulties and swelling in the neck area, but he thought it was his asthma. “I fought asthma before. If I had told everyone they would have called the fight off. But I decided not to, because of the amount of pressure I had. I didn’t want to hear people say, ‘Oh, another postponement.’” declared.

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