Fatalities in the ring...

Aussie light/jnr welterweight contender Hector Thompson sadly had two opponents die after being stopped by him. Roko Spanja and Chuck Wilburn both died after 10th round stoppages against Thompson (I say their names as both men are forgotten these days and deserve to be remembered).

Thompson (who gave Duran and Cervantes decent tussles) wasn't a thunderous puncher like Fitzsimmons or Baer but rather a solid accumulation puncher who wore opponents down with a steady,withering attack.These sort of punchers are more likely to be involved in fights ending with serious injuries than your one punch KO artists.

 

Beat me to it. Thompson was a tough fighter who never stopped coming forward, his fight with Duran is one of my favorites.

 

David Gonzalez a contender from Houston,Tx who fought from Lightweight to Junior middle killed two fighters in the ring Rico Velasquez of Baldwin Park,Ca and Robert Wangila of Kenya.

The only fighter i know of to kill 2 fighters in the ring.

 

He did pretty well Hector didn't he?

Duran whilst not at his peak still oozed talent yet Thompson landed some very solid punches and really made Duran earn it.But Duran's power and supreme ability proved too much for Thompson eventually.

I read that Duran rated this as one of his toughest title defenses and I've heard that Duran collapsed in his dressing room and was pissing blood after it (don't know how true that is though).

 

Yeah Hector put up a good fight, he just kept coming forward which is something most fighters wouldn't dare do against Duran.

I read that he spoke highly of Hector even a few fights later when asked how a fighter he'd just beaten compared to him.

 

Interesting points, but if it's true regarding the thinner gloves we would expect to see many fatalities in the UFC. Defenders of MMA claim the gloves are part of the reason for the LACK of fatalities.

Also, from what I have read, the fatalities from a street fight are usually the result of the back of the head hitting a hard surface when the victim falls after being hit.

 

Davila killed someone and he wasn't a puncher by any means.

In terms of people that have killed more than one I think it's already been covered.

 

If boxers worse those gloves they'd kill people. They have better punching form, whereas UFC fighters are primarily jack of all trades (master of none) or people not good enough to box.

In my opinion.

 

Was just reading about ring deaths earlier and they really are terrible and the effect on the other man must be so great but the bravery and courage the defeated men show is unbelievable.

In the 12th round of his bout with Pintor, Johnny Owen told the referee "i'm alright Sir i can carry on."

The courage he showed in that bout is simply amazing, all fallen fighters proved they had the ultimate courage.

 

Well, the argument is that the result would be quicker stoppages. Proponents of MMA reckon that fewer punches to the head, because of shorter fights, result in fewer fatalities and less brain damage. Time will tell, but no fatalities in UFC so far makes the argument compelling.

Believe it or not, and I have no specific dates or issue numbers to refer to, but this debate came up years ago in KO Magazine (I believe, may have been Ring) and Angelo Dundee apparently made the same suggestion - that smaller gloves (or NO gloves) would result in fewer tragedies. Gloves have the effect of prolonging a bout, and many argue that the longer the fight goes on, and the more punshment that's dished out, the greater the chances are of damage to the brain.

 

That fighter was Kiko Bejines who was a very exciting and popular fighter on the West Coast.

 

:good

 

What was so heartbreaking about the Owen story was his innocence, and his dedication to the sport.

 

It is, just that quote he said to the referee just shows his courage and desire