FILIPINO bantamweight Z Gorres is doing well in the Intensive Care Unit of the University Medical Center in Las Vegas and the specialist neurosurgeon, who operated on the fallen fighter, expressed optimism that the boxer will recover.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum quoted his friend Dr. Michael Seiss that Gorres was out of the coma. “He was responding to the stimuli, although he is not completely out of the woods yet, but all the signs are very positive.”
ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer, who spoke to Standard Today after visiting Gorres in the ICU and talking to the medical staff, said that the Filipino boxer was able to give a thumbs up sign.
“This is very good and it’s extremely positive progress. It shows his vital signs are normal,” said Aldeguer.
Looking ahead, the young Aldeguer said Gorres is likely to have to remain in the US for some months to receive post-operative therapy.
Aldeguer also said that a follow-up CTScan came out stable “although he [Gorres] is still critical.”
Arum praised Gorres for an excellent performance in pounding out a lopsided 10-round decision over a tough and relentless opponent in Luis Melendez of Colombia.
“Gorres’ showing shocked everybody and it was a pity that his career had to end in such a tragic manner,” said Arum.
But he said that welterweight Mark Jason Melligen, who dropped a split decision to 5’11” Mexican Michel Rosales was a disappointment, after so much was expected of him.
Arum stressed that there is no way you could win a fight by throwing one or two punches and back-pedaling most of the time.
ALA Gym patron Tony Aldeguer agreed and said Melligen who is scheduled to return on Thursday to Cebu from Las Vegas is young and should learn from his defeat.
Arum, at the same time, said the late Rod Nazario’s bantamweight protégé Eden Sonsona, who is now handled by Nazario’s son Rommel and won a smashing second-round TKO over Eilon Kedem (9-2-4, 6 KOs) looked great in his US debut. Ronnie Nathanielsz
