Teen wrestler 'sucker' punched after winning match in Beat the Streets Chicago wrestling tournament

OAK PARK, Ill. (WLS) -- The parents of a teen wrestler who was punched on video at the end of a match are pressing criminal charges after the incident.

"I was on the ground, my nose was bleeding, and I started to realize, like, this really just happened," Cooper Corder said.

Corder, the teen who was hit, is OK, and spoke with ABC7 Chicago after taking that punch to the face following a wrestling match he won.

His parents said they are pressing criminal charges.

The video of the incident may be disturbing to watch.

A sudden punch to the nose can be seen sending Corder falling to the mat in cell phone video that's already been viewed millions of times.

Corder's face was blurred at his family's request, and the face of the other teen was also blurred, since he hasn't been charged.

"I won by technical fault, which is when you're up by 10 or more points, and they stopped the match. So, we stop, we go in the middle to shake hands after every wrestling match and, this time, he hit me with a sucker punch," Corder said.

Corder is a youth wrestler at SPAR Wrestling Academy, and has won more than 500 matches since the age of 4.

But the match on April 8, he said, was unlike any other he's ever competed in.

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The 14-year-old was left with a bloody nose following the bitter blow to the face when he defeated his teen opponent.

"I obviously felt the sting of my face. I kind of drew a blank, didn't know exactly what happened until I was on the ground, my nose was bleeding," Corder said.

"I just ran to Cooper because he was laying there in a fetal position. I just didn't know how hurt he was," Corder's mother Jillian Hill said.

It happened at Oak Park-River Forest High School during the Beat the Streets Chicago wrestling tournament.

His parents, at first, decided only to document the incident with police and not seek charges until three days after the incident.

"I just thought it was best to, like, leave it for that moment and let everybody, kind of, calm down," Hill said.

Organizers of the tournament, in a statement, said in part, "Beat the Streets - Chicago strongly condemns such behavior, which conflicts with our mission of empowering youth through wrestling... USAW and USAW/IL have jurisdiction over the matter and will determine next steps, including possible suspension of the athlete from the sport."

"He really needs to learn his lesson that he can't do that anymore," Corder said.

The other teen involved and his parents could not be reached for comment.

The Village of Oak Park and the Oak Park Police Department released a statement saying, "On Saturday, April 8, just after 4 p.m., the Oak Park Police Department was called to Oak Park-River Forest High School fieldhouse in response to an aggravated battery that occurred during a wrestling event, the Beat the Streets Chicago Freestyle & Greco Tournament hosted by USA Wrestling.

"Upon arriving on scene, officers met with the complainants (parents of the victim) and they relayed that their son, 14 years old, was struck in the face, unprovoked, at the conclusion of a match. The victim, who had no prior relationship to the offender, sustained a bloody nose, but declined additional medical response. Officers were also shown a video of the match, confirming the events as stated by the complainants.

"Oak Park police officers also spoke on scene with the offender, 14 years old, and his parents. The offender stated that he struck his opponent because he was angry that he had lost the match. The offender and family also relayed that they would cooperate with any future investigation.

"Neither party is an Oak Park resident or an OPRF High School student and were at the location specifically for the wrestling event.

"After reflection, the family of the victim followed up with the Oak Park Police Department and indicated a desire to pursue criminal charges. The investigation is ongoing and updates on the matter will be provided as available."