Tony Weeks did a GREAT job last night!

He did alright, not great. He let Corrales spit that mouthpiece out twice to get all of those precious seconds to get it together and then jumps in on Castillo before he ever went down. Going into the fight, I wasn't pulling for either guy, but I thought that sucked for Castillo. He HAD to stop the fight at that point, he had absolutely NO alternative. I don't know if it was as obvious in regular definition, but I watched in in high-def (which is like being IN the ring) & there was no doubt that Castillo was just GONE! One or two more flush shots like that (especially from a murderous banger like Carrales!) & we could have seen a tragedy occur. I have no doubts about that. As for Weeks' option of using the eight count, he didn't have it. There is no standing eight count. Had Castillo fallen into or sagged down on the ropes, Weeks could have called a knoskdown had he seen fit, but the punishment was taking place along the ropes & the only option to him was to stop the fight. Plus you have to consider the condition Castillo was in during the previous couple of rounds. On each occasion he went back to his corner on unsteady legs. While still VERY much in the fight, he was more hurt than Carrales was, even AFTER the knockdowns.

Weeks did an ok job, that's a high pressure situation with a loud crowd, etc. Tough spot. However, after Corrales takes his mouthpiece out the 2nd time, he should have either left it out- or put it back in dirty. He obviously ruled that Corrales was doing it to gain time, because he took a point away- but he still allowed it to work. Also, I think when Castillo slumped back against the ropes that he should have been given a count- not a standing 8, but it should have been ruled a KD because the ropes obviously held him up. Technically if you go into the ropes from a punch and they hold you up, the ref can rule that a KD...then Castillo would have had a count. After all that action and Corrales's antics, to stop it that quick (in retrospect) was probably wrong. But you can't overly criticize what he did in the end, because it's a split second, high pressure situation and he saw a hurt fighter in front of him...

Hel ya! A good oldschool referee! I dont like Jay Nady..

He did alright, not great. He let Corrales spit that mouthpiece out twice to get all of those precious seconds to get it together and then jumps in on Castillo before he ever went down. Going into the fight, I wasn't pulling for either guy, but I thought that sucked for Castillo. He didn't let Corrales spit his mouthpiece out Corrales did that on his own. Weeks did what he was supposed to do in that situation even though I thought it sucked for Castillo. Weeks did a great job.

Let's give credit where credit is due here. Had ANY other ref been in there last night, we might not have been witness to the same absolute classic that we were treated to last night. Face it, there are many, many refs who would have found a way to screw things up during a fight like that, but Weeks kept his composure throughout, didn't panic like a lot of officials would have done & did an EXCELLENT job. After last night, he's my new favorite referee. With Castillo's cut & the swollen condition of Carrales' eyes, most officials would have found an excuse to call it between rounds, especially with the shape that Carrales left eye was in, but Weeks allowed the corners to do their jobs. And, had the other refs let it get into that unforgettable 10th round, most of them would have waved it off after the second knockdown without even bothering to count. But Weeks made it a point to look closely into each fighter's eyes all fight long & by doing so, he was able to keep tabs on each fighter's ability to continue & intelligently defend themselves. And, despite the knockdowns, Weeks knew that somehow, someway :confused: Carrales was actually on steadier legs & had a clearer head than Castillo. Which, Carrales proved seconds later. The stoppage? It was perfect in my eyes. One punch sooner & it would have been premature & one shot more & we could have witnessed a tragedy. So, let's remember that there were actually three men in that ring last night & all three of them rose to the occasion & performed brilliantly. He did alright, not great. He let Corrales spit that mouthpiece out twice to get all of those precious seconds to get it together and then jumps in on Castillo before he ever went down. Going into the fight, I wasn't pulling for either guy, but I thought that sucked for Castillo.