Tyson-Williams stoppage.

It was premature, but I think Tyson would finish Williams right after anyway.

 

I can understand why the stoppage could be seen as premature, but the problem is that Williams did not react correctly when the referee asked him if he wanted to continue.
So I agree with the OP.

 

It was similar in Chavez vs Taylor.

 

There was a bit of controversy over it at the time, Williams saying it was called of to fast.
Even if the ref let's it go on then seconds later Tyson gets him again imo.

 

Yes, I completely agree with you guys.

 

Yes, Williams didn’t react correctly - that’s objective fact so it was a fair stoppage.

However, my speculative/subjective take is that Williams could’ve responded properly and continued but him not reacting was his “out”’ - when he protested immediately after the ref called it, I viewed that as Williams trying to save face.

 

Tyson has said some of his fights were fixed and the opponents didn’t know it but the ref was in on it.

Given that bit of information, it looks a bit fishy.

 

Well that’s one way to look at it but more fundamentally, it was his way of surrendering - forcing the ref’s hand by not complying but then protesting a second later to suggest he was willing to continue.

IIRC, for as brief as it was, Williams wasn’t doing too badly until Mike’s single peach of a left hook from down under sat him down.

I personally think that while Williams might’ve at least been able to continue, that one punch took all the fight out of him and he didn’t want anymore.

 

Agreed. He looked like he was dazed and slow to respond to Randy Neuman’s inspection

 

This. Williams was done. He couldn’t even look directly at the ref and and when the referee lifted his arms Williams gave no response, so the ref would’ve been crazy to let him continue.