By Robert Addams: Patrick Day (17-4-1, 6 KOs) suffered a brain injury in a 10th round knockout loss to unbeaten junior middleweight Charles Conwell (11-0, 8 KOs) last Saturday night at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.
The referee Celestino Ruiz immediately halted the fight after Conwell landed hard hook to the head of Day that sent him down back first on the canvas. Day’s head bounced off the canvas as he landed, because he was too hurt to brace himself as he fell.
While down, Day’s eyes were open staring at the ceiling, but he appeared to be unconscious. The fight was stopped at 1:46 of round 10, and Day was quickly taken out of the ring on a stretcher.
Patrick Day knocked down hard in 9th
Day had been knocked down in round 9 with a hard straight hand to the jaw from Conwell. It was surprising that Day was able to make it up from that shot. At the start of the 10th, Conwell after Day, trying to finish him off. Day clinched to keep Conwell from landing his shots, but he was still getting hit with punches even while holding.
Once Conwell was able to get Day off of him, he hit him with a clubbing hand to the head that sent him moving laterally on shaky legs. Conwell then connected with a right followed by a big left hook that knocked Day out.
Moments after being viciously knocked out in the 10th, the 27-year-old Day was taken out of the ring on a stretcher in front of a stunned crowd. Day was then taken to the Northwestern Memorial hospital and had emergency surgery.
According to the latest news from his promoter Lou DiBella, Day is in a coma after the surgery and he’s said to be in “extremely critical condition.”
Eddie Hearn comments on Patrick Day
“Both guys are promoted by Lou DiBella, and I’m going to let him give updates, because I don’t have them,” said Matchroom Boxing USA promoter Eddie Hearn to IFL TV in commenting on Day’s fight with Conwell. “It’s not good. Obviously, he was knocked out in the last round of the fight. He was stretchered out to the ambulance really, really quickly, I have to say. From the moment he left the ring, I followed him to the ambulance, and he was still unconscious. I went to the hospital with his corner team and Lou Dibella.
“It’s a really distressing situation. I’m sure there will be more updates over the next 24 hours from Lou Dibella. We don’t want to speculate at this time, but he’s obviously extremely unwell. It’s horrendous. I think it was a knockout, and then his head hit the canvas. And I met him for the first time at the press conference on Wednesday. I had such a lovely conversation with him. He’s such a lovely man, and everybody I’ve ever heard talk about Patrick Day, says what a lovely, lovely man he is. It’s just a horrific situation.
“The last round, and the last seconds, he was trying to win the fight. He was behind on the card, and he never stopped trying the whole fight. My thoughts at the moment are with Patrick Day’s family and Charles Conwell as well and Lou DiBella. I know how much Lou cares about his fighters, and I’m just praying for them,” said Hearn.