Deep down, does Foster regret stopping it?

howard is a top class ref and IMO wouldn't let past event cloud his judgement he's to much of a pro

 

I don't think he regrets it. He made a decision at the time and probably still thinks his reasons are valid.

My opinion though is that the ref should never have even been thinking of stopping the fight as it was. If you look back on Fights of the year winners such as Gatti v Ward, Corrales v Castillo and Bradley v Provodnikov, these fights would never have went the distance they with a jumpy ref and therefore would never be classics. I'm sure there are plenty of other examples. I think that a fighter's corner should be stopping a fight before the ref even considers it. The corner have watched their fighter in thousands or rounds and know when he's really hurt. They also have a emotional attachment to the guy.

Refs should only be stopping fights if a fighter cannot stand up of his own accord or can't defend himself. With this type of ref it's probably better to go down during a barrage of punches rather than stay on their feet as this way they are more likely to be able to carry on.