[ame]http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SrCVph8-u0&feature=PlayList&p=72B7F533866EE7CF&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=4[/ame] chris eubank v micheal watson 2, round 11 micheal watson has to go down as one of the most under-rated boxers in british history. he was the 1st man to beat nigel benn (6th round ko) and he lost the 1st fight with eubank on a majority decision which many people were sure he had won. this was the re-match. going into 11th round, watson was well ahead on all scorecards when the following took place - one of the greatest rounds of boxing in british history. the enormous downside of this round was that watson collapsed after he was stopped at the start of the next round and suffered bad brain damage that leaves in a wheel chair to this day. watson was a great fighter, a gladiator, and chris eubank was never the same after the tragic consequences of this round.
both guys were warriors, Eubank is a personal favourite of mine, shame there aren't many guys with his mix or personality and ring skills.
that is the uppercut that someone needs to beet abraham. was a great fight and a great round. the ref should have not have left him continue into the 12th
I must have watched that round a thousand times and still can't believe it. The result of the punch is a great tragedy, but I defy any true fight fan not to see the poetry and beauty in the exchange. Eubank being punched to a standstill, getting up, spitting, beckoning Watson on with his right then smashing it into his chin from out of nowhere. It still makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck after all these years.
in a way, this is one of the great lost fights because of its tragic consequences in much the same way as benn v mcllellan is not talked about as much as it should be. that 11th round was brutal, 2 men who had given every last ounce they had to be world champion. watson was a great fighter who never received the credit he deserved. on the other hand, this was peak eubank and it was so typical of him around that time to pull something out of his locker when all was lost. great, great fight.
looked like that uppercut did the damage. Shame he is in a wheel chair. They are both true warriors Amazing fight!
definitely that uppercut. when watson stood up to come out for the 12th you could see the poor lad was done for, he should never have been allowed to start the 12th. problem was that he was 3 minutes away from becoming world champ and taking eubanks unbeaten record.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2003/may/04/boxing.features found this relating to Watson and his struggle/Victory after the fight
The beginning of the 12th is one of the saddest sites I've ever seen in any sport, anywhere. The referee should have waved it off when he had to point watson in the right direction and drag him to the middle of the ring. If he'd died his corner should have been up for manslaughter.
eubank was never the same after that fight, he lost the killer instinct, he stopped trying to knock people out.
It was the uppercut combined with severe whiplash from when his head snapped onto the ropes as he fell. He was in a wheelchair for a long time, but recovered considerably and walked the London marathon for charity a few years back. Michael "the Force" Watson is one of boxing's greatest heroic figures and a credit both to the sport and to the human spirit.
