Boxer Alex Saucedo Retires After Suffering Brain Injury vs. Arnold Barboza Jr.

Alex Saucedo announced his retirement from boxing at age 26 after suffering a brain injury in his Oct. 17 loss to Arnold Barboza Jr.

"My career is done," Saucedo told ESPN's Mark Kriegel. "But I'm glad to be alive."

Saucedo said he suffered two brain bleeds and spent three nights in the hospital after the fight. He believes the injury came when the two fighters butted heads in the opening round.

"I've never saw another fighter come out alive after one of these," Saucedo told Kriegel. "But if I get hit again, I might not be able to talk about it."

Saucedo went 30-2 during his career, losing two of his last four fights.

He previously held the WBO International, WBA-NABA and WBO-NABO light welterweight titles, winning his first 28 career fights. The biggest fight of his career was a TKO loss to Maurice Hooker in November 2018 in a bout for the WBO light welterweight championship.

Saucedo's bout with Barboza was seen by many as a potential stepping stone for both fighters to get into title contention. Barboza's win over Saucedo puts him at 25-0 for his career.