michael watson

Good call (IMHPOOMHO) (In my honest pissed out of my head opinion) Did I just spell that right?

 

If its true he should just go hang himself. How his corner let him go out for the 12th when he couldn't stand properly let alone defend himself is utterly beyond me.

 

Because he was leading on the scorecards.

This is a brutal, brutal sport, things like this happen. We can learn from errors, but if you are a fan of the sport, you are in no position to judge IMO.

 

Regardless he didn't know where he was and should have been kept in the corner. He couldn't even touch gloves... I feel sorry for them and i'm no brain surgeon so the damage was probably already done. He still had the presance of mind to avoid nearly all of Eubanks finishing punches. But still... A fighter in that condition should never be sent out.

 

He was winning the fight, a calculation was made and it was thought he could survive.

We have had 17 years of hindsight to show that was wrong. The reality was it was clear 10 seconds into the final round, the Watson corner had made a wrong call. But the way the sport redeems itself is not blame where there is no blame, but to learn from mistakes made.

If there is blame, a lot of it should go to the thugs who would not let the ambulance get near to ringside and indeed attacked the ambulance crew and tried to attack Watson as he was leaving on a stretcher.

 

#6. You are wrong about the thugs. Wrong fight. I wrote the book. I watched hours and hours of ITV footage to make sure that I got it right. Memory can be an odd enemy.
The dispute turned legal - Michael won. The details are in the book.
Jimmy did what trainers do. There was no blame then and there is no blame now.
And please don't come back and tell me that you were there.
Adios.

 

There were brawls in the crowd after the fight. An ambulance tried to get into the stadium, and could not, and Watson did need to be protected as he left ringside, and yes I was there.

 

It all took place before ambulances were required to have the access they have now. Watson is taken from the ring and nobody - trust me - nobody comes anywhere near the stretcher. People stand back in silence. Sure, there was aggro in the crowd when Michael was being treated in the ring. The aggro was NOT a factor.
There were other far more serious problems - a long list and all emerged in the High Court.
Adios.

 

Don't get me wrong - I don't blame Jimmy Tibbs in a sense that he is responsible for the injuries Watson suffered just that he was wrong to send Watson out.

 

Agree 100%.

If a guy is still ****ed after a minute sitting down he is in no condition to continue and isnt going to be any time soon. I'm guessing the damage was already done but who knows? If a guy can't walk foward to touch gloves its time to pull your man if the ref wont stop it.

Yes I am a fan of a brutal sport but I have no wish to see anyone die in there.

 

The referee should have stopped it there and then really.

Whilst boxing is brutal, and probably the last gladiator sport, the health and safety of all participants should be the primary concern, without resorting to the mad society rules we seem to live in these days - nobody wants to see premature stoppages, but I would rather see ten 'Manfredos' than another 'Watson' or 'McClellan'

 

After that vicious knockdown it should have been stopped , because he took an even great battering in the last round. But after the knockdown in the eleventh why didn't the doctor look at him.

 

Things have changed. We have not had a death in Britain since 1995. It's a great run and safety measures introduced because of Watson saved a lot of fighters - Ingle and Oliver are alive because of Michael Watson. The trainer, the doctor and the ref have nothing to answer. Trust me. Michael has never blamed anybody. He was a fighter. Simple as that. Hopefully he will shortly start doing more.
Adios.

 

Respectfully putting the injury aside -Best British fight you have ever seen?

I was actually just thinking of a tactical way of putting this onto a new thread but this seems a nice way of bringing it up and with the greatest of respect to both participants and their families, the last fatality in a British boxing ring was Friday 13th October 1995. Can I just say what an incredible fight that was.... overshadowed I am sure for many more years to come by the death of James Murray it was one of the most thoroughly contested classic British title fights you'll ever see. Do you remember that one Steve? And what are your thoughts on its almost taboo avoidance in the press. Surely Murray would have wanted it to be remembered. You could be the man to get people to remember. Boxing news rightly didn't do a write up. I'm pretty sure Boxing monthly didn't either but it would be lovely for them to perhaps do something in remembrance.

Hope i'm not of line for bringing this one up it just seems to have been forgotten which isn't fair.