Abraham Perez: The Fight for a Second LIfe

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — August in the Duke City usually brings a relentless, suffocating heat. For undefeated flyweight Abraham Perez, this month will always mark the anniversary of the coldest moment of his life.

Two years ago, Abraham wasn’t preparing for a world title bout. He was hooked up to an ECMO machine, surrounded by hospital walls, fighting a silent battle just to take his next breath.

The Hardest Bout

A routine underwater training exercise had gone horribly wrong, leaving the local fighter in a coma on life support.

The medical outlook was bleak. Complications from oxygen loss threatened to leave him paralyzed, brain-dead, or with missing limbs due to severe blood clotting. The physical toll was immediate; the doctors doubted Abraham would ever walk again. The mental toll was even heavier, leaving him with severe amnesia, unable to remember the faces of friends he had met countless times.

For his trainer and father, Aaron Perez, the tactical blueprint of a boxing coach instantly vanished under the crushing weight of a parent’s worst nightmare.

“To me, I figured that it was over,” Aaron recalled. “I didn’t think he was going to be back 100 percent. To me, I didn’t care if he ever stepped in the ring again… as long as he came out of this alive.”

The Ultimate Win

Abraham didn’t just survive—he fought back.

Step by step, round by round, Abraham defied every grim prognosis the doctors handed down. Instead of walking away from the sport that nearly claimed his life, he returned to the ring—undefeated.

Abraham has since carved through the flyweight division, preserving a perfect 15-0 professional record.

In the ring, he moves with an elusive, maddening rhythm that leaves opponents chasing ghosts. It’s a style his father proudly describes as completely unpredictable, much like his medical feat.

“He’s real unpredictable because his footwork is… he’s here and then he’s there and then he’s like a grasshopper,” Aaron said. “He could hit you from any angle.”

That unique, high-stakes footwork ultimately carried him all the way to Michigan, where he secured a grueling 12-round decision victory over Jonathan Gonzalez to capture the WBA Interim Flyweight World Title.

After Surviving… Live.

If you ask the champion today, the gold belt wrapped around his waist isn’t his greatest victory.

Two years later, the scars have healed, the stress has faded, and Abraham’s mind is entirely sound. Facing the grim reaper brought levity to Abraham’s approach to life.

Life isn’t for surviving—it’s for living.

“Ever since that happened, my life has been completely reversed,” Abraham said. “I moved into a new house. I have my wife. We had a new baby.

“I’m glad that I beat the odds.”

The Albuquerque native triumphed in the face of adversity and found beauty in resilience. And as he prepares for the next chapter of his career, his message to his community—and anyone else fighting their own battles—remains beautifully simple: “Don’t be afraid.”