Always been a big critic of the endemic bogus premature stoppages of modern boxing, but this case is a prime example of a commish completely inept in following their own regulations to protect boxers. Magoβs own corner also should have stopped the fight since every indicator was a fighter medically damaged beyond his capacity to win.Β
NEW YORK β Nearly four years after boxer Magomed Abdusalamov suffered brain damage from a bout in the Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York State has agreed to pay him and his family $22 million in what is believed to be the largest personal injury settlement the state has made.
Court of Claims Judge Jeanette Rodriguez-Morick approved the agreement on Friday.
After Abdusalamovβs fight on Nov. 2, 2013, his family filed suit alleging recklessness, gross negligence and medical malpractice by the New York State Athletic Commission, NYSAC staff and the doctors it retained to work that night. The complaint said improper care crucially delayed diagnosis and treatment of a developing blood clot in Abdusalamovβs brain. He underwent emergency surgery, suffered multiple strokes, was in a coma for weeks, and was hospitalized for more than 10 months, including in-patient rehabilitation.
Now 36, Abdusalamov remains paralyzed on his right side and unable to walk. His speech is mostly limited to mumbling. His wife, Bakanay Abdusalamova, said doctors told her heβd likely never talk again, but now he occasionally delivers fully formed words with clarity. She cares for him and their three daughters β ages 11, 8 and 4 βΒ in a Connecticut house provided by a friend.
Abdusalamov was paid $40,000 for the fight and received the full $10,000 payout from a mandatory minimum insurance policy. A year-and-a-half later, the incapacitated ex-boxer and his family were more than $2 million in debt,Β according to a 2015 court filing.
After a 32-month investigation, the state inspector generalΒ released a 48-page report last yearΒ that excoriated the NYSAC for mishandling Abdusalamovβs care and for an array of systemic problems, including its approach to medical emergencies.
The Abdusalamov familyβs attorney, Paul Edelstein, characterized the $22 million settlement to ESPNβs Outside the Lines as βthe state taking responsibility for its actions and paying an appropriate amount for the damages caused β it was handled by the attorney generalβs office and Assistant AG Ross Herman in an extraordinarily professional and empathetic way.β
Download The Grueling Truth app in the iTunes store!
Follow The Grueling Truth on Twitter @GruelingTruth and Like us on Facebook.
If you enjoy hearing from the legends of pro sports, then be sure to tune into βThe Grueling Truthβ sports shows, βWhere the legends speakβ
Contact us: [email protected]
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
This site is using Cloudflare and adheres to the Google Safe Browsing Program. We adapted Google's Privacy Guidelines to keep your data safe at all times.