Comments Thread For: Referee Having Sleepless Nights Over Stevenson Outcome

[EasternEuroFan]

The WBC shouldn't of have put this inactive 41 year old man against a young killer!

Well maybe they shouldn't have let him avoid mandatory fights for years and he might not have been in this situation at 41.

At the end of the day, it's nobody's fault. It's the harsh realities of boxing, sadly.

[kafkod]

I didn't forget that part of the story. I remember watching it way back then and thinking the same thing. Atrocious refereeing and definitely led to McClellan's condition.

Atrocious corner work from McClellen's team was also partly to blame.

[kafkod]

Just a really sad situation all round

This is a brutal sport with very fickle, uncompassionate and ignorant casual fans who are the overwhelming majority since they outnumber hardcores so much. They constantly complain about early stoppages. Hopefully more is looked into medical assistance following fights. Even UK,which has a reputation for having the best provisions in place for the wellbeing of fighters, still can improve. Many say Bellew should not have given a post-fight interview following the usyk knockout for example. And it is ridiculous how vada-banned substances such as the one billy joe saunders tested positive for are permitted under ukad up until day of fight.

UKAD follow WADA regulations, the same as every boxing commission in the US, including the Massachusetts commission who were resposible for sanctioning BJS vs Andrade. They all allow oxylofrine, except on the day of the fight.

BJS was denied a licence to box in Massachusetts for failing to uphold the terms of his contract - which required him to pass all VADA tests - not for a PED offence. That's why he wasn't fined or suspended by the BBBoC and is free to fight anywhere in the world.

[kafkod]

The WBC shouldn't of have put this inactive 41 year old man against a young killer!

Eh?

I thought Stevenson was supposed to be the killer of the LHW division and Gvodzyk was some stiff E.E. bum who was going to get slaughtered by Superman?

What do you think the WBC should have done .. let Stevenson carry on fighting whoever he liked till he was 51?

[kej718]

I didn't really see where he could have stopped it until the very end. I think it had more to do with the last few fights where he has been getting hit more and going more rounds. Stevenson was the champion and a puncher so the ref gave him every chance available. The thing to look at though for fighters Steven's age is any testing or scans done on the brain. If they weren't doing it it should be mandatory when a fighter reaches a certain age or number of fights.

[Boxing Goat]

Not only that, but the damage could have been done way sooner in the fight. We don't know. It could have been a punch in any of the late rounds, or even the headbutt they had 1 round before the stoppage. Brain bleeds can be slow, or fast.

Very good points. There were several shots before that final one that could have caused the actual damage.

[factsarenice]

Big punchers can snatch a fighters confidence but the cumulative, "break you down fighter" like Gvozdyk and Crawford tend to do massive long term damage in the possess. It's not uncommon for the accumulation of punches to psychically ruin an opponent.

That said Stevenson snatched many a man's confidence and if he could land that one shot Gvozdyk would have been added to that list.

It's a business of choice, it's the hurt business.

[HanzGruber]

It’s not like he pulled a smoger and let him get punished

[johnbook]

that's possible, and it's a matter of accumulation.
But that last shot was when he was against the ropes, which were tight. So it had a stronger effect.

[Tony Trick-Pony]

Atrocious corner work from McClellen's team was also partly to blame.

I don't doubt it, man.