Frightening moment boxer collapses in corner and leaves ring on stretcher

Light heavyweight boxer Joe George Jr left Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena on a stretcher after collapsing in his corner on Sunday night.

The terrifying moment happened after the first round of his bout with Atif Oberlton on the Claressa Shields vs Franchon Crews Dezurn II undercard.

DAZN

Both boxers butted heads in the opening stanza before George Jr made his way over to his corner, sat down on his stool and then fell forward onto the canvas while he received instructions from his team.

Medics quickly rushed to the ring, while his gobsmacked opponent was also on hand to lend support.

George Jr (13-2) eventually regained consciousness but was unable to continue.

Oberlton (15-0) was therefore declared the winner via first-round retirement.

The pair had a brief conversation when George Jr made his way back to his feet, but Oberlton revealed he was very dazed and confused.

“Just like, ‘I got love for you bro.’ It’s cool,” Oberlton said of what he told George Jr.

“I just wanted to make sure he was safe…

“I think that it affected me mentally, which I already know – every time I go into the ring, I say a prayer to God, and this is no joke.

“It impacted me in a way that anything can happen…

“I’ve never seen nothing like that before in my life in the sport of boxing.

“I was really concerned because we all want to go in there and we want to do what we want to do and impose our will on our opponents.

“But we always want to leave, and I’m an advocate for that.

“As a fighter, you want to leave the same way you came in.”

Joseph George Jr health update

Promoter Dmitriy Salita has since confirmed that George Jr is stable and was recently discharged from hospital.

George Jr’s trainer, Hylon Williams, added that his student had undergone an MRI scan.

George Jr has yet to release a statement at the time of writing.

Boxing Schedule

For all the upcoming fights and results this year, check out talkSPORT.com’s full boxing schedule.