Boxer Jin Sasaki suffered a brutal fifth round knockout against Brian Norman Jr and cannot remember the last six weeks.
Japanese boxer Jin Sasaki has lost the last six weeks of his memory following his brutal loss to Brian Norman Jr.
Sasaki locked horns with the American for the WBO welterweight title in a Tokyo tussle on Thursday morning.
But his bid to claim the 66kg strap in what was the stiffest test of his career ended in a brutal fifth-round knockout.
A counter left hook from Norman Jr connected flush on the 23-year-old's jaw and sent him hurtling towards the canvas.
The back of Sasaki's head smacked off the canvas and medical staff promptly tended to him after the referee issued counts.
Sasaki's head hit the canvas immediately following the knockout and officials rushed to the scene. Photo: Instagram.
Sasaki was motionless for over a minute before being stretchered out of the arena and rushed to hospital. Photo: Instagram.
The Sun reported he was worryingly motionless for over a minute before being stretchered out of the arena and rushed to the hospital, where he underwent a slew of neurological tests.
Thankfully, the scans showed he had no serious injury to his brain and he was released the same day.
But the knockout, according to the president of his gym, Issei Nakaya, wiped his memory of the last few weeks.
According to Nakaya, Sasaki told him: 'I don't even remember that this title match was decided.'
'Sasaki Tsutomu was taken to the hospital after the match and underwent a CT scan,' a statement on Sasaki's condition read.
With the win, Norman Jr now boasts a perfect 28-0 record. Photo: Instagram.
'There were no injuries such as bleeding. However, he hit the back of his head hard and is currently losing his memory.
'There were no visible physical injuries, but we will be keeping an eye on him and he will be going back to the hospital tomorrow for another check-up.'
Defeat to Norman Jr was only the second of Sasaki's career.
Norman Jr, meanwhile, now boasts a perfect 28-0 record and can set his sights on unifying the division.
This story originally appeared on The Sun and is republished here with permission.
Originally published as Boxer Jin Sasaki suffers six-week memory loss after brutal KO and cannot remember fight
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