Gorres shows signs of recovery

MANILA, Philippines - In a state of induced coma, fighter Z Gorres yesterday showed signs of recovery in the intensive care unit of the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas but remained in critical condition at least for the next 24 hours.

Gorres, 27, was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance after pounding out a unanimous 10-round decision over Colombian Luis Melendez at the House of Blues in the Mandalay Resort and Casino last Friday night. The southpaw from Mandaue collapsed in the ring moments after it was announced he had won.

Gorres, a mainstay of the fabled ALA boxing stable of Cebu, dominated the fight until the last 20 seconds when he went down hard from a vicious left straight but survived the assault to finish the bout on his feet. He had floored Melendez with a powerful left-right combination in the third round.

ALA stable owner Tony Aldeguer said his son Michael, who is Gorres’ registered manager, reported from Las Vegas that doctors noted brain activity from the fighter and called it a positive sign.

A team of five doctors led by neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Seiff operated on Gorres to relieve pressure on the brain about an hour after the fight. The surgery took nearly two hours. Aldeguer said the procedure involved removing a part of Gorres’ skull to prevent damage to the brain. The removed portion will be later placed back, possibly attached by a metal plate, when Gorres is able to undergo another procedure.

“Doctors had to open up Buchoy’s skull to lessen the compression on the outer layer of the brain,” explained Aldeguer, using Gorres’ nickname. “In a less serious condition, they would’ve just bore a hole through the skull and drained the fluid. But in Buchoy’s case, they took out a piece of the skull because there was swelling in the brain. They wanted to relieve the pressure and reduce the swelling right away to avoid permanent damage.”

Aldeguer said since the surgery, the swelling has subsided – which was another positive sign.

“There’s quite an improvement in Buchoy’s situation,” said Aldeguer who is monitoring developments from his home in Cebu City. “When doctors decreased his level of sedation, he would try to get the tube out of his mouth. That’s a good sign of brain activity. If he’s not sedated too much, he’ll move.”

Aldeguer said he broke the news to Gorres’ wife Datchess who burst into tears after finding out what happened.

“Datchess has a very strong faith in God,” said Aldeguer. “She told me Buchoy loves their children so much that he’ll survive this trial.”

Gorres and his wife have four children – Dheybert, 7, Sheiladhey, 5, Zhey, 3 and Khodney, five months old. The fighter is one of five children born to Celestino, a jeepney driver, and Zeta, a housewife. Gorres was baptized ZC, the initials of his parents’ first names. He eventually dropped the “C” in his name and retained the “Z.”

In 2005, tragedy struck the Gorres family when his only brother Jun was stabbed to death in a bar brawl in Cebu. Jun, once a promising pro fighter, was 31. His record was 25-3-1, with 22 KOs, six in the first round. Gorres was a pro for 10 years and retired in 2002 after losing by knockout to Lovemore N’dou in Honolulu. One of his biggest wins was when he came off the canvas to halt Chuchard Eausampan of Thailand in the third round in Tokyo in 1995.

Aldeguer said Gorres will stay in an induced coma for a few more days to stabilize his condition. He expects Gorres to recover in the US for a month before being able to board a plane for the flight home.