A boxer who needed emergency brain surgery is now out of an induced coma and is speaking with his family.
Waikato boxer Daniel McKinnon was defending his WBO oriental light heavyweight title against fellow New Zealander Robert Berridge in Hamilton on Saturday night.
The fight was scheduled to go 12 rounds but McKinnon lost on a technical knockout in the 10th round when the referee decided he was not fit to continue.
McKinnon, 30, was able to give an interview after that and fight organiser Dean Lonergan says he seemed lucid.
But his manager Ken Reinsfield says he collapsed about 15 minutes later because of a brain bleed. He was rushed to hospital by ambulance.
Mr Reinsfield says while McKinnon's emergency brain surgery went well, there were fears for his life.
"We were worried that he might not come through it," he says.
He says it is likely McKinnon will soon be moved from Waikato Hospital's intensive care unit to a general ward.
Mr Lonergan says McKinnon's family are coping but are very concerned.
The fight between McKinnon and Berridge was the undercard of the David Tua-Alexander Ustinov fight.
