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Originally posted by Super Cruiserweight
BM: You lost your killer instinct after the Watson second fight, didn't you?
CE: I lost my finishing instinct after that, if I couldn't take them out cleanly with one shot then I went for the decision, because I couldn't bludgeon anybody into submission again. When your hands permanently injure an opponent, it does affect you. I was ruthless in what I did to Michael and it's ofcourse one of the downsides to the sport: injuries, particularly permanent injuries. If I was to advertise boxing to people, I would tell them that it forms you into the best shape ever and is the best of confidence builders. I would inform that there are very, very few injuries compared to other sports when you have headgear to protect your heads, facesaver cages to protect your nose, mouthguards to protect your teeth, handwraps to protect your hands, and boxing gloves to protect eachother. It is a sport that develops your hands and feet. What it can do is keep you off the streets, give you a nice hobby, allow you to perform an art in the gymnasium and bring the competitive edge out of you in the amateur tournaments. But there is only pain involved in professional boxing and I wouldn't advise that to anyone.
BM: You almost quit the sport after what had happened to Michael, didn't you?
CE: What brought me back was the realisation that I had done nothing wrong, that had I failed to climb off the canvas when Michael floored me in the 11th round I would have been cheating myself. In that fateful 12th round, I was so tired I could barely stand, so battered I could barely think. I had to keep fighting and punching until there was nothing left, because to lose without knowing that I had given absolutely everything there was to give would have made it impossible for me to live with myself. I would have continued doing that in any fights where I was losing had it not been for me losing my finishing instinct after that fateful night against Michael. You'll notice in my first fights against Collins and Thompson, fights I went on to lose controversially, I had many clear opportunities to finish them comfortably only to literally back off and allow them to recover.
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