Gerald McClellan was supposed to win quickly and add another title to his impressive collection. Instead, he wound up the loser and fighting for his life.
The 27-year-old American, on life support in critical but stable condition today at Royal London Hospital after surgery early Sunday to remove a blood clot from his brain, will never fight again.John Sutcliffe, the neurosurgeon who performed the operation, said today "his chance of survival improves with every hour that passes."
"We think he will now survive," Sutcliffe said. "Hopefully we will get him through it - and at the end of the day get him through it in good condition."
The boxer's mother, Stacey McClellan, his girlfriend Angela Brown, his aunt Linda Shorter and sister Stacey Caien arrived in London late Sunday night from the United States to be at his bedside.
"We are all so scared for Gerald," Caien said.
McClellan collapsed in the ring seconds after he was knocked out in the 10th round by World Boxing Coucil super-middleweight champion Nigel Benn, who said today that he might retire if McClellan does not make a full recovery.
"If Gerald doesn't pull through, then I think that will be it," Benn said.
It was a tragic end to a brutal fight and immediately led to a call in Britain to ban the sport.
The British Medical Association and the British Safety Council, which have been spearheading an anti-boxing campaign for years, said the tragedy was another grim example of the sport's dangers.
"How many more cases do we need of boxers playing roulette with their brains before the government and (Boxing) Board of Control take seriously what we say about the cumulative danger that boxing does?" said medical association spokesman Jeffrey Cundy.