UK Title Fight Ends With Boxer in a Coma.

[Tez3]

Boxer Nick Blackwell in coma after title fight defeat

There's a lot of criticism of the referee for not stopping the fight sooner, the medical services for not jumping in sooner and the promotion for making the fighter parade around while waiting for the decision. Chris Eubank Snr. who is himself a well known boxer, told his son to target his opponent's body after fearing something was wrong after the heavy pounding he'd taken with the ref showing no sign of stopping the fight. Eubank Snr was banging on the mat telling them to stop the fight. It was stopped by the doctor eventually.
Eubank Sr. knows exactly what he's talking about, 25 years ago during one of his fights his opponent Michael Watson was hurt so badly he collapsed in the ring and was on the point of death. It took him years to recover but what happened to him changed the way athletes here are treated.Boxing: The night Michael Watson's career was ended
My thoughts and prayers are with Nick Blackwell, for a speedy and full recovery but while he fought bravely he really shouldn't have been in that ring, he simply wasn't ready for a fight with Eubank.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Boxer Nick Blackwell in coma after title fight defeat

There's a lot of criticism of the referee for not stopping the fight sooner, the medical services for not jumping in sooner and the promotion for making the fighter parade around while waiting for the decision. Chris Eubank Snr. who is himself a well known boxer, told his son to target his opponent's body after fearing something was wrong after the heavy pounding he'd taken with the ref showing no sign of stopping the fight. Eubank Snr was banging on the mat telling them to stop the fight. It was stopped by the doctor eventually.
Eubank Sr. knows exactly what he's talking about, 25 years ago during one of his fights his opponent Michael Watson was hurt so badly he collapsed in the ring and was on the point of death. It took him years to recover but what happened to him changed the way athletes here are treated.Boxing: The night Michael Watson's career was ended
My thoughts and prayers are with Nick Blackwell, for a speedy and full recovery but while he fought bravely he really shouldn't have been in that ring, he simply wasn't ready for a fight with Eubank.

I wish there was some way to truly protect the brains of fighters and others in contact sports. I understand people who choose to fight - I just don't think they should have to be permanently disabled for sport, competition, or entertainment. I hope he recovers fully.

 

[Tez3]

This is where Chris Eubank Snr. stepped into the ring to give his the instructions to not hit his opponents head, the fight should have been stopped in the 7th round it was obvious to us watching but not the referee it seems.

 

[Transk53]

Hope for a speedy and full recovery. On Talksport this morning, a boxer was saying that Eubank Snr did not say the above.

 

[Tez3]

Hope for a speedy and full recovery. On Talksport this morning, a boxer was saying that Eubank Snr did not say the above.

Fingers crossed for him, the boxer was mistaken as he clearly did say it though.
Did you watch the fight, it was on Five, I can't find a video of it to post up at the moment, perhaps it's copyright?

 

[Tez3]

This is Blackwell just before he collapsed.

 

[Transk53]

Fingers crossed for him, the boxer was mistaken as he clearly did say it though.
Did you watch the fight, it was on Five, I can't find a video of it to post up at the moment, perhaps it's copyright?

No I missed it. Did not that Five were showing any boxing. Thought it would have been ITV. Admittedly I don't follow too many of the Brit middleweights, but maybe now Jnr has a more realistic shot at Golovkin. Don't agree with Snr that Jnr would take him, at least not yet. Golovkin has a lot of experience with ring craft. Still though, that fight at the Brighton AMEX stadium would likely sell out.

 

[Buka]

What a damn shame. I hate seeing when this happens. I'm not pointing out any blame, but I'm glad I always had good corner men. Part of their job is to watch out for their fighter, especially when he's in trouble.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Hope for a speedy and full recovery. On Talksport this morning, a boxer was saying that Eubank Snr did not say the above.

Full fight video. From what I could tell it was clear that Eubank Sr knew the damage that was going on. You can actually see Eubank Jr let up on the punches as he seems more concerned with trying to score than trying to knock the guy out and put him away.

 

[JowGaWolf]

View attachment 19810

This is Blackwell just before he collapsed.

Is it normal for boxers to have such large pupils in the ring? I would have thought that it would be smaller with all of the light there.

 

[Tez3]

Is it normal for boxers to have such large pupils in the ring? I would have thought that it would be smaller with all of the light there.

That's one of the first things you notice isn't it, how wide the pupil is. I think it's a symptom of the bleed on his brain, it's certainly one of the signs of head trauma.

 

[ShawnP]

This is where Chris Eubank Snr. stepped into the ring to give his the instructions to not hit his opponents head, the fight should have been stopped in the 7th round it was obvious to us watching but not the referee it seems.

Sorry Tez3 but i failed to hear him say that, i also failed to see that happen. after watching both the full video below and this one, what i heard and saw was Chris Eubank Sr. told his son that "Maybe he shouldn't leave the decision to the referee" and "your not gonna take him out in the face, your gonna take him out to the body" meaning hitting the head will not get him a knock out and right after the bell rang for the 9th round he came out and pounded Nick Blackwells head to what i would assume was an attempt to knock him out. i feel bad that Blackwell got hurt and i do agree the referee should have stepped in 2 rounds earlier to have a Dr. check the eye but in all honesty it was clear that Blackwell continued to fight back and defend and the swelling was not so prominent in that round (you can see it clearly at 34:39 there was a little swelling) and i believe the real damage came in round 8 from that barrage of rights and uppercuts and even the announcer was saying so, but what made the swelling over his eye extend to the point that the Referee stopped the fight was the right hook at 37:08 that you can clearly see as he turns around at 37:13 and at 37:47 the announcer states that. the fact is Chris Eubanks Jr. was targeting that eye throughout round 9. the bottom line is the during the entire fight, even up until the stoppage, Blackwell was fighting back and defending, i blame his corner and the Dr. for not giving the correct diagnosis in the corner at the end of round 9 but the Referee i think did a fair job.

Also i dont like that way Eubank would jab his head into Blackwells eye either, thats just dirty fighting in my book, but all they see is a win and unfortunately a lot of fighters get away with that.

 

[Tez3]

The day Chris Eubanks says 'gonna' will be the day freezes over, I assume you haven't heard him speak before, I heard him speak quite clearly albeit with his usual lisp.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Thoughts and prayers sent his way!

 

[JowGaWolf]

Sorry Tez3 but i failed to hear him say that, i also failed to see that happen. after watching both the full video below and this one, what i heard and saw was Chris Eubank Sr. told his son that "Maybe he shouldn't leave the decision to the referee" and "your not gonna take him out in the face, your gonna take him out to the body" meaning hitting the head will not get him a knock out and right after the bell rang for the 9th round he came out and pounded Nick Blackwells head to what i would assume was an attempt to knock him out. i feel bad that Blackwell got hurt and i do agree the referee should have stepped in 2 rounds earlier to have a Dr. check the eye but in all honesty it was clear that Blackwell continued to fight back and defend and the swelling was not so prominent in that round (you can see it clearly at 34:39 there was a little swelling) and i believe the real damage came in round 8 from that barrage of rights and uppercuts and even the announcer was saying so, but what made the swelling over his eye extend to the point that the Referee stopped the fight was the right hook at 37:08 that you can clearly see as he turns around at 37:13 and at 37:47 the announcer states that. the fact is Chris Eubanks Jr. was targeting that eye throughout round 9. the bottom line is the during the entire fight, even up until the stoppage, Blackwell was fighting back and defending, i blame his corner and the Dr. for not giving the correct diagnosis in the corner at the end of round 9 but the Referee i think did a fair job.

Also i dont like that way Eubank would jab his head into Blackwells eye either, thats just dirty fighting in my book, but all they see is a win and unfortunately a lot of fighters get away with that.

I think Eubanks and the announcer questioned the effects the punches. If my memory is correct Eubanks made a statement that he didn't know why the referee wasn't stopping the fight. I think it was right before he made the comment about not taking him out up top and to take him out at the body.

The way he fought with that injury makes me think he may have had a preexisting brain injuries. He looked as if he could have continued if it hadn't been for his swollen eye, but the other eye was telling a different story. The head can take a lot of damage and it just didn't seem like the damage he took that night would require a medically induced coma.

I agree with you. The responsibility was on the his corner and the Dr giving an honest diagnosis. The referee did his job. Corners know their fighters better than the referee and the doctor, so they should be the first line of protection for a fighter. They are the first ones that would recognize that "something is off" with their fighter.

 

[Tez3]

I imagine many boxers have some degree of damage to the brain, it's been proved now that repeated blows to the head even if not heavy cause damage, and that damage accumulates over time.
I was taught when refereeing MMA to check the eyes of fighters, the pupils being that wide would have been a warning sign to have the doctor check on the fighter. Did the corners know this as well, I have no idea, I do know that Blackwell had very little amateur experience as a boxer before he turned pro, he didn't follow the usual steps for fighters go through, he'd actually had little fight experience compared to most, many people I know were saying before the fight he wasn't ready for this fight.
Nick Blackwell: What are the rules for stopping boxing bouts?
Ironically the fact that there now has to be two doctors ringside is a result of Eubanks Snrs. fight with Watson who collapsed with catastrophic brain damage and there wasn't even a doctor attending they had to call an emergency ambulance.
On a more hopeful note it seems the doctors are hopeful they can bring Blackwell out of the coma today, all being well.

 

[Transk53]

Full fight video. From what I could tell it was clear that Eubank Sr knew the damage that was going on. You can actually see Eubank Jr let up on the punches as he seems more concerned with trying to score than trying to knock the guy out and put him away.

Unfortunately Channel 5 are being party poopers, they have blocked it. Speaking with a semi boxer, he has pretty much said the same. No doubt Eubank Snr had flashes of that fateful night against Michael Watson.

 

[ShawnP]

what i failed to remark on was the fighter himself, experienced or not, who knows better than anyone if some thing was not right, it is ultimately on the fighter themselves to either continue fighting or say wait a minute im not feeling right i should stop this fight before i die! look at the "greatest Boxer of all time" Ali who has irreversible brain damage, i also believe, MY favorite fighter Roy Jones Jr had a brain injury and decided to stop fighting, that may not have been reported as the actual reason he retired but that is my belief. i watched him fight one night and destroy his opponent and his very next fight was like watching a golfer beat the heck out of him as if he were a cripple and i found that very odd and still to this day have no good explanation for what actually happened. it was a sad time for me, i loved watching him fight even though i hated boxing.

 

[elder999]

what i failed to remark on was the fighter himself, experienced or not, who knows better than anyone if some thing was not right, it is ultimately on the fighter themselves to either continue fighting or say wait a minute im not feeling right i should stop this fight before i die! look at the "greatest Boxer of all time" Ali who has irreversible brain damage, i also believe, MY favorite fighter Roy Jones Jr had a brain injury and decided to stop fighting, that may not have been reported as the actual reason he retired but that is my belief. i watched him fight one night and destroy his opponent and his very next fight was like watching a golfer beat the heck out of him as if he were a cripple and i found that very odd and still to this day have no good explanation for what actually happened. it was a sad time for me, i loved watching him fight even though i hated boxing.

Nope.

It's not the fighter's job to stop fighting-it's the referee's and cornermen. Period. Full stop.

 

[ShawnP]

Nope.

It's not the fighter's job to stop fighting-it's the referee's and cornermen. Period. Full stop.

so your saying if the corner says "hes ok to fight" and the fighter continues and dies, thats ok? comon now! the fighter has a right to preserve his own life and the final decision is up to him, not the corner, the ref, the Dr. or anyone else.