Welterweight boxer Diaz awakens from coma
Last Updated: Friday, September 19, 2008 | 1:33 AM ET
CBC Sports
Oscar Diaz, left, takes a punch from Delvin Rodriguez during their USBA welterweight title fight at Municipal Auditorium in San Antonio on July 16, 2008. (Tom Reel/Associated Press/San Antonio Express-News) Boxer Oscar Diaz awakened from a two-month coma Thursday after suffering severe brain injuries during a USBA welterweight championship bout with Delvin Rodriguez in his native San Antonio, Texas, on July 16.
Diaz, 25, was awake and breathing on his own. His condition has been upgraded from critical to stable, and doctors at University Hospital in San Antonio are cautiously optimistic about his recovery.
"It's very exciting to see Oscar open his eyes," said Diaz's mother, Theresa. "He's a fighter, and I believe he will get better."
Diaz collapsed in the ring after he was unable to leave his corner for the 11th round of his fight with Rodriguez.
Doctors performed emergency surgery to relieve swelling in his brain, but he fell into a coma only to awake on Thursday. Diaz was expected to survive the injuries since shortly after they occurred, but the news was a relief to Rodriguez.
"It's very good news to me," Rodriguez told ESPN.com. "The doctors kept saying he would come out of it, but you don't believe it until it happens.
"I've been waiting for his moment for a long time. It's been difficult. I kept thinking about him and how his family was doing. I've been worried."
With files from the Associated Press
