Eubank Jr won this contest after a 10th round stoppage (moves to 22-1-0), and is the newly crowned British Middleweight Champion. There was some friction between Eubank Jr and current WBO Middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders (the only man to defeat Eubank Jr, and undefeated himself; 23-0-0), and Tyson Fury was notable during the coverage, but none of this stole the headlines.
Blackwell collapsed after the contest, and has since been placed in a medically-induced coma, with swelling on his brain. This has led to questioning from some corners of whether the referee or Blackwell's corner should have stopped the contest before the doctor eventually did in the 10th round.
Let's look at the contest:
1. Blackwell (now 19-4-1) contributed to the fight with Eubank Jr throughout, was dangerous early on, and continued to stand and trade with Eubank Jnr until the end.
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| Blackwell and Eubank Jr trading blows. |
3. Those watching at home would have heard Blackwell's corner talking about a year of preparation for this fight. Blackwell remained game during these conversations.
4. The ref who has been criticised in some quarters also allowed the contest to continue despite some swelling to the left eye of Blackwell. During the majority of the contest, Blackwell's main injury was a seemingly broken and very bloody nose. The eye-swelling came later in the contest but was extremely notable when the fight was stopped.
5. Despite the swelling, Blackwell still had sight from his eye and so was not handicapped in the contest until around the time the fight was stopped.
6. Eubank Jr was probably ahead by some distance on the scorecards (although Richie Woodhall's unofficial scorecard had it as close as 2-rounds after 7-8 rounds), but had been caught once or twice himself. Therefore as defending champion Blackwell, very game throughout, may have hoped to catch Eubank Jr late on. This also seemed to be the game plan as suggested during the coverage from his corner.
So what more could be done to make Boxing safer?
Looking at the above, I'm not sure under the current rules that anyone has done anything wrong. However, it does beg the question - should the current rules be assessed so that even with a boxer defending himself and throwing punches, some sort of assessment is still performed during the contest.
1. Can we make the equipment safer?
Boxers already wear gloves, which removes the dangers of bare-knuckle fighting. However, could gloves have greater padding or could it be made mandatory that fighters wear headgear similar to the amateurs. Some may argue it would detract from the thrill of knock-outs, but if it could lessen/prevent head injuries, should safety outweigh this thrill?
2. Can we bring in additional checks during the contest?
The ringside-Doc checked on Blackwell and ultimately had to call for the stoppage. But could these checks be made mandatory sooner and more often during the contests. The argument here is that simple questions could be asked between say the 3rd, 6th and 9th rounds and a short examination performed. Whilst the refs and corners will be checking regularly, quite possibly a qualified and neutral pair of eyes in each corner may well notice some danger signs that unqualified eyes wouldn't. This isn't apportioning blame anywhere in this instance, but would bring a neutral pair of eyes,
*These are just two considerations off the bat. Please join the debate by replying in the comments or on Twitter, and please send your wishes and prayers to Nick Blackwell and his family and friends,*
I would like to add, I'm in no way affiliated to any person or organisation mentioned in this blog and have no agenda here other than to suggest that Boxing could revisit safety aspects of the professional sport.
I would also like to note I have regularly been checking for updates on Blackwell's condition, and my thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family and friends. As a fight fan, it was a great contest, Blackwell was a truly tough and game fighter, and that stands out for me right now. All the best in what I hope is a speedy recovery, and I hope to see Blackwell in a ring competing again soon.
