Anthony Yigit Describes Treatment After Fight

By

S Saadeq Ahmed

On the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk-Daniel Dubois, Anthony Yigit (27-4-1, 10 KOs) faced Denys Berinchyk (18-0, 9 KOs) in a lightweight bout. The fight ended with Berinchyk winning a unanimous decision with scores of 117-111, 116-112, and 115-113, but not before both men swung for the fences in a valiant effort during the final round. Yigit required medical assistance following the clash. Unfortunately, the treatment he received post fight was something that no fighter should ever have to go through.

In a message posted to Twitter, Yigit explained what happened following the bout:

Need to get my eyebrow stitched but apparently they didn’t have the tools for it in the arena. Also they couldn’t take me to the hospital cuz my injuries aren’t life threatening. Been 4 hours with an open cut on my eyebrow now..

— Anthony Yigit (@YigitAnthony) August 26, 2023

Instead of receiving stitches at the venue, his cuts were only covered with gauze. In an image also posted to Twitter, one can see the cut bleeding through the gauze:

Cut is bleeding tru. They gave me a nice hat tho 🤷🏻‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/zxvSdIg72d

— Anthony Yigit (@YigitAnthony) August 26, 2023

Once he received the appropriate medical care, Yigit posted a video after receiving medical attention to Twitter where he explained the entire situation:

This ain’t how you take care of the fighters. Do better. pic.twitter.com/6bDhcqI31a

— Anthony Yigit (@YigitAnthony) August 27, 2023

Put simply, no fighter should ever have to go through this. In a sport where people literally throw punches at each other, the least that can be done is to provide them with appropriate medical care. Yigit’s situation once again raises the question: who is looking out for fighters? As Yigit mentions, he spent at least four hours with an open cut on his eyebrow. Instead of being treated on site, he was told to go to the hospital on his own. It was only after arguing with event organizers that he was able to receive transportation to a hospital. Once there, he was left on his own without transportation.

Fortunately, Yigit was eventually able to get the medical assistance he needed. Several hours after he posted the video from the hospital, Yigit posted this message to confirm that he is well:

I wanna take the opportunity to say thank you to everyone for all the support. I’m stitched up and well. I’m glad y’all enjoyed my fight. When Dig It is on the card, it’s gonna steal the show! 😉

— Anthony Yigit (@YigitAnthony) August 27, 2023

There is no excuse for a fighter to be subjected to this kind of treatment. It can not be emphasized enough. Those responsible for this situation should be held responsible. Fighters put a lot on the line when they enter the ring. Receiving appropriate medical care is the bare minimum they should receive after any fight.

Currently writing out of Mississauga, Canada, Saadeq first became a boxing fan while living in Doha, Qatar. Looking to become more involved in sport, he began writing about boxing and has had work published in outlets such as Seconds Out and Boxing Social. He looks forward to continue covering boxing on Big Fight Weekend.