Renerio Arizala recovers from surgery

MANILA, Philippines — Masbate featherweight boxer Renerio Arizala endured a 3 1/2 hour surgery in a Yokohama hospital where doctors bore a hole through his skull to drain a blood clot in the brain following a loss to Japanese Tsuyoshi Tameda by a sixth-round stoppage at the Osanbashi Hall last Sunday.

Arizala, 24, never went down but was visibly hurt from a brutal blow to the head with over a minute left in the six-round bout, prompting the referee to step in. Arizala’s trainer Jonathan  Peñalosa rushed in to attend to the fighter and brought him back to his corner.  Peñalosa said Arizala sat on his stool for about three minutes before he stepped out of the ring and collapsed.

“I don’t think he was hurt or groggy before that punch,” said  Peñalosa in Pilipino. “There was no reason to end it until that blow. The referee saw Arizala was badly hurt so he stopped it. I went into the ring and took Arizala back to the corner. He couldn’t walk straight. I asked him if he was OK and he told me ‘OK ako, coach.’ Then I took him down from the ring and he collapsed. He was put on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. The hospital was only 10 minutes away from the stadium. They took an MRI of Arizala’s brain. Doctors confirmed there was a blood clot.”

 Peñalosa said he was with his Japanese friend Yoshinori Mitsui who speaks Pilipino and translated what the doctors explained. “The doctors wanted to operate right away,” he said. “With surgery, there’s a possibility he could live. Without surgery, he’ll die.  We arrived at the hospital at about 7:45 p.m. By 8:30 p.m., the surgery started. By midnight, it was over. I stayed in the hospital until after the operation. Doctors told me Arizala would regain consciousness by Wednesday.” The lead surgeon was Dr. Nagao of the Yokohama City Minato Red Cross Hospital.

 Peñalosa arrived in Manila the other day and said his friend Mitsui reported good news. “Arizala woke up at about 6 p.m. last Monday so ahead of schedule,” he said. “His eyes were open, he was responsive. He was able to move his arms, he could hear. It looks like his brain is OK. Doctors believe he’s recovering well. He’ll be in the hospital for two to three weeks. I’m now waiting for JBC (Japan Boxing Commission) to give me a letter of invitation so I can get a visa to go back and look after Arizala. I’m leaving Manila on April 13. JBC will take care of all the hospital expenses.”

 Peñalosa said aside from Mitsui, his wife Shelly de la Peña is checking on Arizala.  Peñalosa’s wife has worked in Japan for over 10 years. “They don’t allow visitors to stay the night in the hospital and visits are only for 20 to 30 minutes,” he said. 

Arizala entered the fight with a 0-6-2 record in his last eight outings and hadn’t fought in over a year before making a comeback in a draw with Presco Carcosia last February. He turned pro in 2012 and was unbeaten in his first 12 bouts. The loss to Tameda dropped his record to 13-9-3, with 5 KOs. Tameda, 25, was described by Asian Boxing as “a monster with vicious power.” Asian Boxing predicted before the fight that Arizala would “likely be splattered by the heavy hands of Tameda.” The win over Arizala raised Tameda’s record to 19-4-2, with 17 KOs. Tameda had fought two Filipinos previously – Mark Bernaldez whom he stopped in seven and Jimmy Paypa whom he held to a technical draw.

Two Filipino fighters who suffered a similar fate were Pretty Boy Lucas in 1995 and Z Gorres in 2009. Lucas had won seven of his last nine fights before he was halted by Chong Jae Kwon and underwent brain surgery. Gorres had won 20 of his last 21 fights and was way ahead on points over Colombia’s Luis Melendez when in the last few seconds, he was caught by a brutal punch to the temple. Gorres survived the distance, won a decision but collapsed in the ring and underwent brain surgery.

GAB chairman Abraham Mitra immediately called for a conference to discuss the Arizala incident with the boxing division and doctors. “We will coordinate directly with the Yokohama hospital and attending doctors,” he said. “Arizala’s medicals were cleared before he fought his comeback fight last month when he renewed his license. I even talked to him after his fight at Midas. He and I thought he would’ve won but the judges know better as it was a unanimous draw. We are in touch with the Japanese matchmaker who told us that Arizala is now awake. From now on, approval will not be delegated and I have to be the one to scrutinize and sign all authority to fight abroad. I was not in the office when Arizala’s approval was granted.” Filipino matchmaker Art Monis arranged the fight for Arizala.

In an official statement, GAB said it will monitor Arizala’s status and issue updates periodically. “Despite all the established safety measures of the Philippines and Japan, all of which have been complied with, it is unfortunate that our boxer sustained injury requiring hospitalization,” the statement said. “Utmost care is being afforded to him and according to the Japanese matchmaker, Renerio is responsive to medical treatment. GAB joins the family, friends and teammates of Renerio in praying for his speedy recovery.”