BOXING (VIDEO): SIMISO BUTHELEZI IN INDUCED COMA AFTER PUNCHING INVISIBLE OPPONENT IN TITLE FIGHT

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Simiso Buthelezi, a lightweight boxer from South Africa, is in an induced coma at King Edward VIII Hospital in Durban, after shadow boxing with his back to his opponent during a WBF All Africa title fight over the weekend.

Buthelezi was in the final minutes of a 10-round contest for the WBA Africa lightweight title against Siphesihle Mntungwa on Sunday when he staggered backwards between the ropes after taking a seemingly harmless left jab.

When Buthelezi got up, he turned away from Mntungwa and began shadow boxing towards the corner of the ring, prompting referee Elroy Marshall to stop the bout and summon the medics.

Buthelezi, a recent university graduate in botany and zoology, was taken to the hospital and placed in a coma in the intensive care unit around 11 p.m. He is still in a coma, according to doctors, who believe a bleed on his brain as the cause of his condition.

“He is not in a good health condition at all; he is critical but stable,” Dr Buyi Mabaso-Dlamini, who was ringside during the bout, told local publication The Sowetan on Tuesday morning.

“We discovered that he bled on the brain and sadly his condition does not allow the doctors that are treating to operate at the moment due to the condition.”

The mystery is now not what caused Buthelezi’s disorientation, but rather how he got the bleed in the first place. He endured no heavy blows to the head during the fight, and his trainer said afterwards that he was fine ahead of the bout.

Trainer Bheki Mngomezulu said on Monday, per News24: “There wasn’t anything untoward in the fight and in training.

“He was leading the fight on points before the unfortunate incident occurred.

“I really can’t explain what happened, to be honest. It was bewildering, but in his training and in the build-up to the fight, there was nothing untoward with regards to his condition. He was in good nick before the fight.”

Dr. Mabaso-Dlamini added: “Another suspicion is that he may have suffered an injury before Sunday’s fight.

“It could be injuries building up all the years. His condition deteriorated when he was rushed to the hospital. But he was worse on his arrival at the hospital than when he left Greyville [the fight venue].”

Fight promoter Zandile Malinga joined the boxing community in expressing his shock at the situation, saying in The Sowetan: “As brutal as boxing can be, but this is the last thing you expect. Everything was fine; no weight issues … basically no signs of anything to look into in that direction.”

Mntungwa was awarded the win, and thus the title, when the fight was called off.

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