Venado Lopez Suffered a Brain Bleed in Angelo Leo Fight

Luis Alberto “Venado” Lopez is currently recovering from a brain bleed following his knockout loss to Angelo Leo on August 10. ESPN’s Mark Kriegel reported that Lopez, who was defending his IBF featherweight title for the fourth time, suffered a “small brain bleed” during the fight. The bout ended in the 10th round with a knockout that left Lopez needing immediate medical attention. As a result of the injury, the New Mexico Athletic Commission has medically suspended the 30-year-old former champion.

Lopez’s injury is a grim reminder of the inherent dangers that come with the beautifully brutal sport of boxing.

In October 2023, British featherweight Connor Coghill faced a similar fate. The 27-year-old was knocked down four times during his bout against Hopey Price. Following the bout, doctors discovered that he had suffered a brain bleed, ending his boxing career.

In a June 2022 bout, Simiso Buthelezi, a 24-year-old South African boxer, began acting disoriented, throwing punches into the air and moving aimlessly around the ring. The referee immediately stopped the fight, and Buthelezi was rushed to the hospital, where doctors discovered a brain injury and internal bleeding. Buthelezi passed away from his injuries two days later. During an ESPN boxing telecast, boxing analyst, Tim Bradley made fun of the clip of Buthelezi, not knowing that Buthelezi had passed away. Bradley later apologized for the incident.

The future for Venado Lopez remains unclear. While he expected to make a full recovery, whether he will ever return to the boxing ring remains a question mark.

Brunch Boxing extends its thoughts and prayers to Lopez as he recovers from this traumatic injury.