Joseph George collapses in scary moment during Atif Oberlton fight

Anxiety and concern engulfed Little Caesars Arena after boxer Joseph George Jr. collapsed in between the first and second rounds during his fight against Atif Oberlton. The Houston, Texas native was sitting on his stool when he passed out and fell to the mat. He received immediate medical attention, was eventually helped out of the ring and was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. George is in stable condition and is undergoing an MRI, per ESPN’s Eric Woodyard.

Hopefully, there is more encouraging news to come. The cause of this frightening moment is believed to have occurred near the end of the opening round, when both men inadvertently bumped heads while advancing toward one another. George sustained contact to the back of the head and staggered. He appeared fine during the routine regrouping period with his trainer, until he went down abruptly.

Oberlton instantly became alarmed and gestured to his corner. He rushed over to check on his opponent, tapping gloves before the medics hit the scene. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania resident later embraced George when the latter got back to his feet, as the two men engaged in a mutual show of respect amid the distressing situation.

“I’ve never seen nothing like that before in my life in the sport of boxing,” Oberlton said, per Woodyard. “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.”

Atif Oberlton was declared the winner of the light heavyweight bout via technical knockout, but he was not in a celebratory mood. There are certain times when results are rendered meaningless, and that was certainly the case in Detroit on Sunday night. The experience is causing the victor to truly reflect on what it means to be a professional boxer.

“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,” Oberlton said. “It impacted me in a way that anything can happen.”

Joseph George Jr. is likely experiencing a similar realization, as he awaits the results of his MRI.

The post Joseph George collapses in scary moment during Atif Oberlton fight appeared first on ClutchPoints.