ABC News published an article from ESPN, which said that the family of brain-damaged Russian boxer Magomed Abdusalamov has already filed their intention to seek legal action against the state of New York and the New York State Athletic Commission. Abdusalamov's family is looking to claim $100 million in damages for alleged negligence and medical malpractice over the state of the heavyweight boxer after his November 2 match with Mike Perez.
ESPN said Abdusalamov was in a coma after undergoing an emergency surgery due to a large blood clot that formed in his brain after his defeat in a unanimous 10-round match against Perez. According to medical director Dr. Rupendra Swarup of the Mount Sinai Roosevelt Hospital's department of neurosurgery, Abdusalamov is still bedridden but showed small movements and was able to follow simple commands. It was stated that the heavyweight boxer's career is over as he will not be able to talk or walk again.
The sports news site said that during a post-fight assessment, New York State Athletic Commission doctors or anyone present realized that Abdusalamov's brain had already been bleeding at one point. Abdusalamov complained to doctors who were present that his head was hurting, according to his handlers.
State athletic commission inspector Matt Farrago said that after commission doctors cleared Abdusalamov, he told his handlers to bring the boxer to the hospital by taxi as he noticed blood in the boxer's urine. ESPN said that this was a sign of internal bleeding. An anonymous insider told "Outside the Lines" that commission doctors did not summon any one of the two ambulances on site for Abdusalamov to send him to the hospital.
Lawyer Paul Edelstein, who represented Abdusalamov's family, said that he will be filing another lawsuit against commission doctors and other parties in connection to Abdusalamov's current state of health. Although he expressed difficulties of pursuing an entity that is protected by state legislation against certain types of litigation, Edelstein is confident that the state of New York could be liable via alleged negligence of its sports commission doctors and overseers of the boxing match.
