Leading into this fight I had no real interest in it at all. But then earlier in the week I was listening to a podcast with an interview with McDonnels trainer. It was after they had been in Japan a couple of days. I could tell instantly from the comments/moaning/whining that the trainer was doing that McDonnel was going to get completely destroyed. All the trainer did was moan and groan about how they couldn’t find any decent food in Japan and the place was full of noodles and they couldn’t wait to leave and get back home. This to me was absolutely pathetic and was not fighting talk at all. I knew what the outcome would be based on this one interview and the mindset displayed. I suddenly became interested in the fight. Forget about weight, or skill, or levels...the guy simply gave up long before the fight started.
He was ironed out early because the process of massive weight loss followed by rehydration just before the fight left him absolutely dead at the weight, and absolutely exhausted. The plane journey to Japan clearly made the process of making weight harder. After the loss he admitted he needs to go up in weight.
Listen to the BBC 5 live podcast with his trainer and tell me then.... I remember the exact same thing with David Price in some fight he got destroyed in a few years ago....in the interview on a podcast before the fight all he did was talk about how much he missed his family during training and so he moved his training camp closer to home so he could drive home at night. Fair enough but this is not the talk of a man in a winning mindset. Same for this Macdonnel fight...they sounded like whining English men looking for a fish and chip shop cos they couldn’t get food like home...did they not google “food in Japan”.... Guy lost before he ever stepped foot on the scales or got in the ring
All you have to do in an international style hotel, is offer the chef enough of a tip and he will cook you anything. If you don’t ask you won’t Get. Also a professor outfit would have brought their own food and cooking facilities to Japan- so they could stick to the right diet.
When did they fly out to Japan? I see when BJS went out to Canada for the Lemieux fight they arrived a few weeks before the fight to get used to a different country, someone please correct me if I’m talking nonsense
In the interview the Manager says they spent the first 2 days wandering around trying to find somewhere that made English food....said they finally found an English Pub that would let them use their Kitchens to cook food for thenselves.... Incredibly poor preparation/management to say the very least....a simple Google search before they left would of surely helped?
Seriously...listen to the podcast...it’s unbelievable....as I said, I knew immediately that he would be annihalted...there mindset was completely shot....
Combine that with not watching any tape of your opponent and having almost no idea what he was up against and surprise surprise....KTFO... Total lack of professionalism....glad the guy got destroyed in the way he did....bad representative of the sport in my opinion.
I didnt even see this threadtill now and iv just written a similar reply in the inoue v mac thread. I totally agree it was his mindset that lost him the fight. J.M has had every scientist outside of CERN working with him on this fight to maje sure he does the weight right. Theyve had a full s& c camp and have had a proper weight loss camp. Thats what they were showing us with the promos. 2 points here. 1st im not buying the weight drained excuse. fair enough if hed been in for 10 rds or so but not 2 min. Inoue only really made 1 attack and that was the one that marked the beginning of the end. 2. If they are claiming wwight drained, then as a trainer he should of pulled his man out. If u cant even operate for 2mins then you are putting your life on the line. And any trainer should pull out. I agree with the OP. He wasnt mentally there.
@im sparticus How can you not buy the weight draining excuse bud? It doesn’t matter if it’s 2 mins or 36 minutes. Catch a shot on the temple with insufficient fluid around the brain and you’re going down. I agree about the mindset thing but nothing to do with the OP’s points. McDonnell is a very tough man, a warrior. However, it’s the mindset of boiling yourself down constantly over 10 years to the point that you’re dehydrating by nearly 2 stone that is barmy. Coldwell took him to Dubai 3 weeks prior to the fight. They flew into Japan a week before. I’ve never been to Japan but my understanding is that nothing is in English, including the foods. In a sport where you must already be very paranoid of inadvertently taking an illegal PED, that would surely make you nervous.
Just curious....where does this “insufficient fluid around the brain” theory/science come from? So if you put on 26lbs overnight you reckon none (or insufficient) of that would of gone to the head/brain? Exactly how much then would be required to fill this seemingly enormous fluid vacuum gap that forms in the head (apparently)?
