Aidos Yerbossynuly in Medically Induced Coma After KO Loss to Morrell, Per Trainer

Boxer Aidos Yerbossynuly was placed into a medically induced coma after his knockout loss to David Morrell on Saturday.

"Representatives of TGB Promotions and PBC are on the ground in Minneapolis with Aidos' team and we are monitoring the situation closely," Premier Boxing Champions said in a statement. "Out of respect for he and his family's privacy, we can't share any details but we ask the boxing community to keep him in your thoughts and prayers."

Assistant trainer Emanuel Savoy said Yerbossynuly underwent surgery after being taken to a Minneapolis hospital immediately after the 12th-round stoppage, per Ben Baby of ESPN. Morrell dominated the anticipated fight between the young super middleweight contenders, winning every round on two of the judge's scorecards and holding a 108-101 advantage on the other.

Savoy indicated Yerbossynuly's camp began considering stopping the fight in the ninth round but ultimately chose to continue.

"I actually had the towel in my hand," Savoy said. "Aidos wanted to continue. His head coach (Kanat Orakbaev) wanted him to continue. He evaluated Aidos and said nothing was wrong with him."

Yerbossynuly entered the weekend with wins in his first 16 professional fights and held the WBA International, WBC-ABC, and WBO Global super-middleweight championships. While Morrell was considered the favorite going into the bout, Yerbossynuly was ranked as the top contender in the WBA's super middleweight rankings.

Saturday was Yerbossynuly's first fight since September 2021.