Daniel Franco out of Coma After Surgery to Stop Brain Bleeds from Jose Haro KO

Al Franco, the father of injured featherweight boxer Daniel Franco, confirmed his son has been brought out of his medically induced coma and is now breathing without the use of a tube.

On Wednesday, Dan Rafael of ESPN.com passed along the latest update from the elder Franco as his son's condition continues to improve following an eighth-round knockout loss against Jose Haro on June 10 in Sloan, Iowa.

"Daniel had his breathing tube removed and is breathing on his own," he said. "They added an IV to his carotid artery in his neck and removed all other IVs. He's progressing well and it's all thanks to the great doctors and you all. Thank you all for your prayers."

Franco added: "Daniel was moved out of intensive care unit and into a regular room. He's responding well and is becoming more alert."

Boxing Scene previously reported Franco needed two emergency surgeries after the loss to Haro, including one to "repair bleeding and relieve pressure in his brain." Tubes were removed from his head over the weekend after the bleeding subsided.

The 25-year-old California native sustained the injury in a USBA featherweight title bout at the WinnaVegas Casino & Resort. It was just his second loss in 21 career fights.

He'd previously spoken with Steven Muehlhausen of Sporting News about getting the opportunity to take part in a main event on national television on the CBS Sports Network.

"It really means a lot because I'm able to show the support my family and my sponsors have for me," Franco said. "My dad, who's my trainer, has put in all this time and miss things for me. And everyone who's going to be able to turn on that TV, especially my grandma who will be able to see me. I think it's a real rewarding experience just to be able to do that and fight on television."

His father told Rafael a section of Franco's skull has been removed for the next several weeks, but otherwise there are "all good signs that we are moving in the right direction."