By Steve Kim
So what type of discipline should heavyweight Curtis Harper receive for walking out of the ring right after the bell had sounded to begin his fight with Efe Ajagba?
"I think he should be banned from the sport of boxing," said Ronnie Shields, who trains the heavyweight prospect who hails from Nigeria and came into the bout with a record of 5-0 (5 KO's) and was awarded the victory over Harper via disqualification.
And yes, Shields, a former boxer, believes a lifetime ban should be in order for Harper.
"Yes, forever, I don't think he should be allowed to ever do it again," he reiterated to BoxingScene.com. "Just suppose this was a main event, once you sign the contract and you agree to the terms, you show up to the fight, you take the per diem, you take the hotel room - you take all of that.
"And then all of a sudden you come into the ring, you got to the middle of the ring, get your instructions, you go back, the bell rings and you walk out. That's unbelievable, that's not fair to all the people that paid their money, that came to watch boxing. All he did was hurt the sport of boxing, as well as himself. It's a black eye for boxing when a guy does that."
Ajagba-Harper was part of the card at the Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota and set to be part of the broadcast on FS1 this past Friday night before Harper exited the ring.
Sources say that while Ajagba was paid for the bout, Harper's purse (which he was reportedly unhappy with) was withheld.
A spokesperson for the Minnesota Office of Combative Sports explained to BoxingScene.com on Monday that no determination has been made on the boxing license of Harper.
Steve Kim is the news editor for BoxingScene.com.
