British boxer Connor Coghill is still reeling from the abrupt halt to his career. He recently talked about the unforeseen turn of events after experiencing a brain bleed following a match last month.
Coghill faced his first career loss against Hopey Price in a featherweight WBA continental belt contest on October 7. Coghill was knocked down four times throughout the match before a technical knockout ended the match in the 12th round.
Coghill’s trainer Stefy Bull revealed that he had to be taken to the hospital for medical attention as he suffered from persistent headaches.
Medical examinations divulged a troubling revelation—Coghill had suffered a brain bleed. He was first informed that his blood could need to be drained and that a portion of his skull might need to be removed.
Eventually, he was informed that because the bleeding was manageable and minor. Therefore, no surgery was necessary.
Afterwards, Coghill was released and was predicted to fully recover. But he was forced to give up boxing.
The 28-year-old acknowledged that his career’s high point had been the bout on the Leigh Wood-Josh Warrington event.
He said in an interview to BBC: “I knew I would never box again but I was grateful that a small kid from a council estate in Hull fought on the biggest stage – in front of 20,000 fans on a world-title undercard and live on DAZN.”
“That can’t be taken away from me. To end on that note, though it’s a bitter pill to swallow, makes me proud. To be honest, it is all a bit of a shock and probably hasn’t fully sunk in.”
“I had never before suffered from headaches because of boxing. I didn’t cut water for the fight – if anything I was underweight. There was no tough sparring. The way I look at it is that it was a freak accident. Nobody caused it. It just happened.”
Coghill expressed gratitude towards referee Bob Williams for the decision to halt the match in the 12th round.
With an impressive record of 14 wins and one loss from 15 bouts, Coghill’s plans post-retirement include pursuing a professional boxing license. He wants to transition into coaching aspiring boxers.
Bull initiated a fundraiser to aid Coghill in coping with the income loss resulting from his departure from the professional boxing world.