THERE are certain boxing incidents so revolting they can never be erased from the memory, though they took place decades ago.
What happened to Michael Watson 30 years ago today was one of the worst.
He was transformed from a 26-year-old super-fit fighter into a mental and physical wreck — and the reason can only be described as an abomination.
Reliving the terrible scenes I witnessed from ringside at White Hart Lane on that 1991 evening still sends a shiver down my spine.
Because it was preventable.
Michael’s fate was sealed because of the British Boxing Board of Control’s sickening incompetence.
Had the essential medical team been in place that is now obligatory, there is every likelihood Michael would have been able to lead a normal life.
Looking back, there was a typical build-up to his return with Chris Eubank for the vacant WBO world super-middleweight title.
There was a certain amount of animosity between them — the usually mild-mannered Michael was angry because he felt the judges had robbed him of victory in their first clash 15 months earlier.
And there was definitely a hostile atmosphere between the rival camps in the crowd.
From the opening bell it was obvious it was going to be another very close battle.
But there was no doubt as they got into the later rounds who was winning — as they came out for the 11th all three judges had Michael ahead.
Nobody could possibly have foreseen in the final 39 seconds the fight lasted that his life would end up laying in ruins.
With just ten seconds left of the penultimate round, a clubbing right hand floored Eubank.
I looked across at Michael and the self-satisfied expression on his face indicated he was thinking, ‘Got you at last’.
He must have been wondering if he was about to be acclaimed champion of the world.
But Eubank had other ideas.
He not only got up but he then launched himself at Watson — driving a vicious uppercut flush on his chin.
The blow’s impact lifted Michael clean off his feet and sent him crashing to the canvas — the back of his head bouncing off the second from bottom of the four ropes, which may have significantly contributed to his brain damage.
He was saved by the bell. But when Michael left his stool for the 12th and final round, he was out on his feet.
The referee, the late Roy Francis, stopped it 29 seconds later after Eubank had landed another flurry of punches to the head.
Then there was pandemonium.
Fighting immediately broke out among the fans and the ring was besieged by officials, TV and radio interviewers and people who had no right to be in there. Michael’s distress went unnoticed until he collapsed. That is when the scandalous absence of proper medical care became evident.
There were no paramedics on duty, which meant there was no ambulance standing by.
Michael was deprived of vital oxygen and 28 minutes elapsed before he received treatment in a hospital neurosurgical unit.
The result of such unforgivable bungling saw Michael spend 40 days in a coma, which led to no less than six brain operations.
He was over a year in intensive care and was confined to a wheelchair for six years.
It has always been my contention — though it can never be proved — that it was not only Eubank’s punches that damaged him so severely. Seventeen months earlier, Michael challenged the brilliant Mike McCallum for the WBA world middleweight crown at the Royal Albert Hall.
It was cruel watching McCallum give Watson an unmerciful, sustained beating before knocking him cold with four head punches in the 11th round.
I am convinced the punishment Michael received on that occasion had a direct bearing on his tragic injuries.
As Peter Hamlyn, Michael’s world-famous neurosurgeon, pointed out: “The first eight months was so depressing.
“He couldn’t hear, he couldn’t speak, he couldn’t walk. Slowly he clawed it all back.”
So extraordinary. What is perhaps unbelievable is despite what he has suffered, there is not an ounce of bitterness in Michael’s broken body.
He still loves boxing and being among boxing people.
His fight back to a semblance of normality has taken years and is beyond comprehension.
You can find him working out and hitting the heavy bag at the Lea Valley Leisure Centre a couple of times a week.
Now a 56-year-old grandfather, his social life is full.
He is a regular visitor to many of the ex-boxers’ associations.
Michael Watson is the bravest of the brave. And it is no wonder he is loved and mobbed by fans and his fellow pros wherever he goes.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
