10:50 AM
The doctor who examined Teofimo Lopez after he lost his four lightweight belts to George Kambosos said he should have been in a hospital.
"He could have died, for sure," said Dr. Linda Dahl, an otolaryngologist with surgical privileges. I can't explain how he breathed. It's like someone put a heavy set of weights around his neck and chest.
"That's how he fought."
"He's lucky he's alive," said Dr. Peter Constantino, executive director of the New York Head and Neck Institute. "I'm really lucky."
Lopez's medical records show that he was diagnosed with pneumomediastinum after his fight at the hospital.
"The air was surrounding his chest wall and his heart and his neck, places where air is not supposed to be," said Dahl, who worked as a ringside physician for the New York State Athletic Commission. He could have developed a pneumothorax if he was hit in the neck or chest. He would not have been able to breathe and would need a chest tube.
He's lucky he's alive. I'm really lucky. The New York Head and Neck Institute has an executive director.
The doctors who saw Lopez later at New York-Presbyterian Hospital said a small tear in his stomach was the likely cause of the air. Lopez, who was diagnosed with asthma and a case of chronic bronchitis in June, began to have trouble breathing on Friday before the weigh-in.
Lopez said he didn't tell his manager or the commission about his symptoms because he thought it was his asthma. I battled asthma before. They would have canceled the fight if I told everyone. I chose not to because of the amount of pressure I was under. I didn't want people to say another postponement.
Lopez-Kambosos was promoted to a mandatory defense by the IBF, but it turned out to be a star-crossed promotion with at least eight dates going back to May. Kambosos was not seen as a dangerous opponent. Lopez was a 10-1 favorite to win the fight.
Lopez's condition wouldn't have become apparent in the pre-fight exam, which was conducted right before the weigh-in, according to a former NYSAC employee.
She said that if you listen with your stethoscope, his lungs sounded fine. Nobody could have diagnosed this without knowing how bad his symptoms were.
Lopez and his team went to Carmine's to get some hydration after the weigh-in. His symptoms took a turn for the worse there.
Lopez said it didn't get bad until he started rehydrating.
His neck and throat became swollen. His breathing became labored as his chest became tight. He said, "I thought it was my asthma." I have asthma since I was 6 years old.
The most likely explanation, according to Dr. Constantino, is that Lopez "fast-stretched his esophagus until the point where he got a tear or something like that."
Lopez's parents thought he might be suffering from acid reflux or dehydration because of the weight cut.
Lopez sat in the back of the restaurant. Everybody is trying to burp me. My neck is swollen. My voice changed. Everyone is a little concerned at this point. I said no to going to the hospital because they're going to cancel the fight.
They tried a variety of remedies after returning to the hotel. Nothing worked.
Lopez said that his neck was sore by Saturday morning. My chest hurts. My throat hurts. I guess I'm just going to have to fight like this. He was knocked down in the first round.
It was the first time Lopez had been put on the canvas in his five-year pro career.
Lopez said that he was not in there Saturday night.
The fight was seen as a clear win for Kambosos despite Lopez scoring a knockout in the 10th round. Don Trella's scorecard was the only one that raised eyebrows in boxing circles.
Lopez was given oxygen after the fight and was taken to the hospital for nine stitches to his left eye. The "extensive air" in his neck was noted in his records at 4:30 am.
Lopez checked himself out against the advice of the doctors after complaining that he wasn't getting enough attention in the ER. His manager, Dave McWater, called his second-in-command. From his days at the athletic commission, Rizzo reached out to Dahl.
Lopez met a man at his hotel. The champ was going to John F. Kennedy International Airport to board a flight to Las Vegas to see his son, born just weeks ago.
When he saw him Monday morning, he looked at the scans. "Thank God you're alive," I said.
After the weigh-in, Teofimo Lopez's condition worsened, but he said he thought it was related to his asthma.
She told him to check in at the New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center. The doctors confirmed the diagnosis. He was discharged and told not to fly for at least two weeks.
He went 12 rounds without being able to breathe. It's dangerous for him to get on an airplane because he has air where it's not supposed to be.
The lead-up to the Kambosos fight was an emotional time for Lopez. He separated from his wife of two years in August. He said in October that he had contemplated killing himself at least three times this year. His family moved in with the young fighter in the same month. He left for New York four days after his son was born. Lopez said he had only $20,000 left to his name.
Money was one of the reasons Team Lopez let go of their assistant trainer, Joey Gamache.
Perfecting Athletes, who are considered to be the most respected nutrition in combat sports, live with the fighter through those two previous camps. The camp was the same until Lopez tested positive for COVID and the fight was canceled.
Lopez didn't want to pay them for nine months without an exact date. It got too expensive.
Lopez knew hydration and nutrition protocols from the camps. Lopez is big for the 135-pound weight class, but there was no qualified nutritionist on hand for his weight cut. Perfecting Athletes would have monitored his weight cut and hydration periods.
The company's executive director declined to speak.
Lopez said he didn't take Kambos lightly, but his body outgrew the division. His next fight will be at 140 pounds.
He's looking forward to the new year, even though he knows how lucky he is to have survived.
Lopez said that he had been trying to stay positive. I've been losing all year.
