Last night, defending his British middleweight title, the SSE Arena Wembley, witnessed a brutal fight between Nick Blackwell and Chris Eubank Jnr.
Before the fight the needle between the two boxers had raised the anticipation levels to an unprecedented high, with both boxers in the ring ahead of the first bell you could cut the atmosphere with a knife.
Sadly, the fight was to end in worrying circumstances with Blackwell being carried away on a stretcher.
Blackwell proved that he was amongst the bravest of the brave, absorbing punch after punch from Eubank Jnr. A lessor man would have called it a night, accepting that he was taking too much punishment, but Blackwell still strode forward, desperate to hang on to his title and keep the Lonsdale belt for ever.
But, as we entered the 10th round, the swelling above the left eye of the champion, was forcing his eye to shut and the ringside doctor, quite rightly, called an end to the bout.
Whilst Eubank Jnr celebrated the drama unfolded in the opposite corner and Blackwell slumped to the floor.
Treated by a plethora of medics, Blackwell was rushed to hospital where he was placed into an induced coma ahead of an operation for a bleed on the brain.
Confirming as such the British Boxing Board of Control general secretary Robert Smith remarked to the media,
‘It is our understanding that Nick has a bleed on the brain and is under observation by hospital staff.
‘We will just have to wait and see what the hospital says.?
This morning the debate will rage
Should Victor Loughlin have stepped in earlier in the fight when Eubank Jnr was unloading a barrage of punches? Maybe, but just as he looked to be in trouble, Blackwell fought back.
Should the words of Chris Eubank Snr have been heeded when he urged the fight to be stopped around the 7th and 8th rounds? Maybe, but Blackwell may have been behind on the score-cards but his camps game-plan was to come on strong in the later rounds and with Eubank Jnr slowing it might have been a plan that worked.
Last night Nick Blackwell showed that he was a gladiator, like all others in the game he knew what the risks were, he knew that the sport is dangerous but he so desperately wanted to keep that Lonsdale belt and beat somebody he thought he had the better of.
Today, we?re asking everybody to offer a prayer for Nick and we hope that he makes a full recovery
Sometimes Fortune Doesn?t Favour the Brave!
