Mexican boxer Jeanette Zacarias Zapata is still fighting for her life, although her condition has reportedly improved since she was hospitalized Saturday night.
The 18-year-old suffered life-threatening brain damage after getting knocked out by Marie-Pier Houle in a women’s welterweight contest at the IGA Stadium on Aug. 28 in Montreal on the undercard of the Kim Clavel-Maria Soledad Vargas feature bout.
In a press conference on Sunday, veteran Quebecer promoter Yvon Michel, who staged the bout, said Zapata was placed in a medically-induced coma in order to alleviate the stress in her brain and body. Michel noted that the initial prognosis was not very promising.
“When she entered the hospital, she was in a critical state,” Michel explained to reporters. “The doctors were very worried about whether she could make it through the night.”
“The doctors didn’t give her much of a chance (to get out) initially, but they find her situation has improved a lot,” Michel continued. “The next two to five days will be critical and she will be kept sedated for that period. The next six weeks will then be critical in determining if there is damage and how much damage it has.”
The incident happened in the waning moments of the fourth round after Zapata absorbed an uppercut from Houle that seemed to stun her. Houle (4-0-1, 2 KOs) then followed up with a flurry, including a right hand that sent Zapata’s mouthpiece sailing into the air. Unable to return to her corner after the end of the round, Zapata then began to convulse while standing stock still. She was eventually laid on the canvas and carried out on a stretcher and transferred via ambulance to the Hospital of the Sacré-Coeur of Montreal.
According to Michel, Zapata (2-4) has improved to the extent that surgery is not required.
“At first, the doctors wanted to know if she could be stabilized enough so that they could proceed with surgery,” said Michel. “On the contrary, the condition of her brain has improved to the extent that an operation is no longer necessary.”
The Journal of Montreal reported that Zapata had been knocked out her in her last fight in May and that her Mexican license was subsequently suspended for 60 days. Her boyfriend, Giovanni Martinez, who also fought on the same card, however, pointed out that Zapata had been all cleared to fight.
Houle, 31, recently gave an interview to a local Montreal television station, saying that she “felt responsible even though I know that [injuries] are part of the risks in our profession.”
“I know that I’m going to have to get over this to continue with my career,” Houle said. “For the moment, it’s all too fresh, and I don’t want to think about anything but [Zapata] and her family who is in Mexico and not able to be by her bedside.”