Former super-middleweight title contender Eduard Gutknecht will never fully regain all his faculties following a battle with George Groves last November, the fighter’s wife has confirmed.
The 35 year-old lost comprehensively on the scorecards to the Briton at Wembley Arena and soon after collapsed in the dressing room.
Gutknecht was rushed to hospital, but as Julia explained to boxenplus.de / Boxwelt.com in a conversation with Alexandra Kostenko, the damage had already been done to her husband during the bout.
“We must be happy that he lives. From the medical point of view, it is stable. He understands that we are there and recognizes us,” she explained before revealing her emotions as the fight unfolded.
“I had to switch off from the fight from the 7th round. I was too worried about Eddy and could not keep looking. But I prayed that he will not be hurt and to this day I dare not look at this fight (again).
Eduard Gutknecht will never fully regain all his faculties
“If the fight had been abandoned early, Eddy might not be so badly injured. Perhaps at least the possibility for an independent life would be guaranteed. The extent of such injuries counts every minute as in November 2013, Eddy beat Dmitry Sukhotsky with his left eye injured and swollen. Fortunately, the fight ended prematurely.
“I can not turn back the time now. All I have left to do is to accept the heavy fate that has been imposed upon me. I use the last strength that has remained to help Eddy be as well as possible and to be there for our three children,” added Julia.
If someone wants to help directly, the Gutknecht family is looking forward to every little donation. Here’s the bank data:
Here’s the bank data:
Account holder: Julia Gutknecht
IBAN: DE75 2695 1311 0142 0337 03
BIC: NOLADE21GFW
Reason for payment: You never walk alone
