Watching Watson somehow get up after that uppercut and then still proceed to try and block and weave Eubanks attack in the 12th while his brain and body was shutting down is one of the greatest feats I've ever seen. A true warrior and such a shame that this happened to such a great man and fighter. A golden era of British boxing which has still to be replicated in my eyes. Does not surprise me the progress Watson has made over the years, the man is an inspiration to us all. The life changing injuries aside, one of the greatest fights I've seen
@scott warwick sportnight theme, yes i remember that. Used to come on during the week so i would only hear the theme music from bed, same with cagney and lacey theme music.
And that the ambulance took him to a hospital that couldn’t treat brain injuries, so they had to drive across London to the right hospital, thus starving his brain of more oxygen. Apparently he wasn’t operated on until 2 hours after the fight finished. That was a big factor in his condition when he came out of the coma.
This fight took the vicious edge off Eubank, If you hit somebody just right and really do damage it frightens the life out of you. and you never hit or hurt so hard again.
@@edmondlonergan9915 this all happened way before Collins. Would have been interesting to see that collins eubank fight if this situation hadnt happened to eubank.
It's a ridiculous shot - as clean a shot as you'll ever see. Right through the gap, and Watson catches it rigid; so much so his head barely movies as his chin was set. The corner should have withdrew him on the spot. How he got to his feet is beyond me.
This was peak Eubank, at this point in his career the sky was the limit. He was so dangerous, shame he didn't go back to America and challange James Toney, Michael Nunn, Roy Jones to name a few. People have short memories, this version of Eubank was capable of beating any 168 fighter, then and now.
It's not just the precision or accuracy of the shot, but the circumstances in which he landed it. After being put on the canvas, to then get up and deliver it. Eubank's toughness is not of this world. Amazing fighter. It's just so sad that this fight ended the way it did.
@@martytdd1606 indeed Roy Jones said Eubank was the one he couldn't fathom n admitted he didn't really fancy it n that Chris was possibly the hardest n best of them all This Eubank would've destroyed Collins he was gun shy when they fought because of this fight Nigel Benn said Eubank didn't punch the same in their 2nd fight
Two of the best boxers this world has ever seen, I watched this live & cannot fault any of these two men, Brave & what this sport is all about, They both delivered in bucket loads. Pure Class massive respect to both fighters,
The late 80s and 90s ITV sport The Big Fight .. wow some of the biggest names and biggest legendary fights all for free .. some great memory’s watching some fights growing up .. good times
ITV brought so many memorable fights on the channel. My favourite are three Sugar Ray Leonard v Roberto Duran in their second fight forty two years ago in New Orleans. Sugar Ray Leonard v Thomas Hearns in their first fight forty one years ago in Las Vegas. Marvin Hagler v Thomas Hearns thirty seven years ago in Las Vegas what a memorable fight especially in the first round when Hearns rocked Hagler with his right hand that led Hagler cut but Hagler refusing the referee to stop the fight in the third round and Hagler unleashed his own southpaw right hand, Hearns was all over the place and Hagler finished him with the same punch. Reg Gutteridge an excellent voice of ITV boxing classics. Reg Gutteridge being at ringside from Birmingham to Newcastle and from Buenos Aires to San Juan.
Great times. I miss the 1980’s and early 90’s. Saturday night boxing on free to air television, football on a Saturday afternoon at 3pm, no mobile phones in everyone’s hand and many more things that were just better!!
I agree I was 8 to 10yyr old it was always a time I was allowed 2 stay up and watch the big fight and the intro music makes my hairs on my neck stand up this fight and beans fight vs Gerald McLennan were and still are ultimate classics
Remember Mike tyson fighting on itvsport in the late 80's great memories as a 7/8 year old kid. Even had Nigel Benn living in East Ham, minutes from my house. Used to see Benn washing his lovely motors in the summers.
I never understood why Watson’s corner let him go out for the 12th round. That uppercut disconnected him and it was clear to see that he was in Big trouble! What a shame.
Do you know how easy it is to say something like that with hindsight? Get some class. Most boxers will tell you before they step in the ring that they’re willing to die in the pursuit of greatness. It’s not something that you can understand until you have competed at that level. It’s been known forever that boxing is quite hazardous to your health and it could kill you yet it’s still a pretty popular sport.
My heart goes out to the ref. Lots of Monday morning quarter backs on here criticising him but countless fights, especially in those days, have had fellas struggling similarly towards the end. When you watch it here again you can see there is controversy about how early the ref stops it. Watson's corner protest and the commentator mentions how he prefers fights stopped too early than too late.
I hadn't considered this before but I noticed something at the beginning of the 12th round. When a guy is knocked down in the middle of any round, if he beats the count the referee always asks him to walk to him. If the guy doesn't walk to him, he can stop the fight. In this case, Watson didn't walk to center ring to start the 12th, in effect not acting properly. Only 60 seconds before Watson took a monster uppercut and he fell hard. The bell rang for the 12th, Watson got up but made no attempt to walk forward. Under normal circumstances each fighter knows at the beginning of the last round they touch gloves at center ring, so they go there by habit. Watson didn't move an inch, not even when the referee saw that he wasn't moving and waved at him to come forward. Watson stood still, didn't take even one step forward. Look at Eubank when this happens, he's staring at Watson with a curious look on his face, as if to ask why aren't you coming to touch gloves. Eubank sensed something wasn't right, the look on his face says that. Watson finally came to touch gloves, but not on his own. The referee walked to Watson, grabbed him by the arm and led him to center ring. The question I have is this; should the referee have stopped the fight based upon Watson's refusal, or inability to move to center ring? I don't like pointing fingers, but I'm curious about the opinion of others. I don't think the fight should have automatically been stopped, but I think the referee should have been concerned and maybe he should have walked to Watson to ask if he was okay, the same way they ask after a knockdown in the middle of a round. If he had done that, I think it's at least 50/50 that the referee would have seen a far- away look in Watson's eyes and he might have stopped the fight. What do you think? What was the right thing to do in that situation?
Watson one of the very best to never win a world title. I tip my hat off to both gentlemen on what was an incredible battle back when British boxing was at an all time high. It's such a shame it ended in tragedy with Watson's life forever changed. But to see the recovery that man has made is even more inspiring and I hope he can live out the rest of his years happy and in peace.
Yes indeed he did but what eubank did getting up when he had nothing to get up for and knocking out Watson showed the heart of the man albeit it ended tragically
Sad about the consequences for MW but you also have to admire how CE managed to come back from the brink of being knocked out to land such a devastating and killer punch.
I don’t understand how you can hone a chin like Eubank’s or Watson’s. The sheer overwhelming number of shots they took to the face without falling is unbelievable.
The most memorable fight in my memory! Two wonderful, fabulous Warriors sharing a special fight. Chris Eubank always impressed me with his chin and I thought he was a decent guy inside and Michael Watson was so talented and brave! What happened is tragic but out of this tragedy rose the truth of the inner beauty of both men!
Brave heart by Michael Watson though he seems to not be okay after that uppercut in 11th round Great boxing by Chris Eubank I wish all the best to Michael Watson ❤🇹🇿🏴
I couldn’t watch this again from the first time I saw it live, shocking referring, what a handsome & talented guy he was, let down by the sport & only his family there to nurse him, tragic...!
Oh how I loved to hate Eubank, a wet behind the ears bantam teen as I was, watching this. Now there is only love. Bless the warriors of each our times.
I love both eubank AND price naseem. They were funny and entertaining as fuck. The best thing about the stupendous arrogance is the way it infuriates their opponents, becauuse the bad blood fights are usually the best. But I also love the way it annoys the fans as well 😄
Jim Watt as poor as usual. He always called fights based on a narrative he believed to be true instead of calling what he saw in real time. And generally when things went against his narrative he would claim that it changed because the fighter used the game plan he thought they should have used in the first place.
Amazing fight, heart of warriors. Watson is a legend, still fighting hard with what happened to him. Watson always looked like danny john jules to me, cat from red dwarf.
In retrospect Watson not walking to the center at the start of round 12 was a huge sign something was wrong. But who have had the guts to stop the fight?
Did you not see with your own eyes & hear the commentator Jim Watt saying Eubank is a very poor offensive boxer? Throws 1 punch then loses his balance. The exact same thing was said by Jim Watt when Eubank lost to Calzaghe.
@@theriddick2735 Man was a champion for 5 years straight and Calzaghe said himself of all his fights, Chris Eubanks was his toughest opponent of all his fights. On top of that, he was near retirement and only lost once by knockout and the rest of his losses were all from decision. If you ask me that's one hell of a resume, so if they claim his he's horrible offensively they coulda took a crack on him themselves to find out lol
CE was at the end of his career but JC was only at the beginning of his. Eubank wasn't KO'd more cos he was always on the defensive, just like Mayweather. Yeah, avoid getting hit but don't do it at the expense of offensive tactics. He wasn't an offensive fighter until his opponent was worn down, if at all. Benn lost more fights but at least he stood an traded with his unquestionable courage. That's what i want to see, not fighters prancing around the ring and hugging each like those of today. Why dya think those boxers of yesteryear are so revered?
@@theriddick2735 The start?! The man was 23-0 when he fought an out of the door boxer, in Calzaghe's 46 fights he had 32ko's and is the best of their weightclass while Chris who wasn't a powerpuncher in his 45 wins had 23KOs (that's still more than half). He never boxed to be cripple his opponents with power, he was textbook and did it was class, he was in the hurt business and stood up to face to face anyone and dared them to put him down. Chris has taken many a beatings and still held his title. Why do you want the man to rush and fight the way you want him to if he played to his strengths? Seen his style and how his offensive game is but he definitely went at his opponents. Boxers swing and miss all the time, its nothing new.
Very underrated was Michael Watson. He beat Benn and did quite well (up to a point!) against an even more underrated boxer, Mike McCallum. How Eubank got the decision in their first fight was (and still is) completely beyond me. I recall the furore surrounding that abject decision
Because Eubank won the first half of fight 1, not so much happened in the first half but someone has to take the point for each round, many fighters have lost because of that, it is very hard to win a 12 round fight when you loose the first 6 rounds, Watson needed to apply more pressure early and take a couple of those early rounds.
I don't have CE winning all the first six rounds though! And rounds can be shared, being scored ten apiece. Watson did more than enough to win that fight and it still stands out as a poor decision to me. That's the beauty of boxing though, sometimes folk interpret things differently. ATB, Chris
holy fuck that uppercut came from the depths of he'll, he literally gave him brain injury with a single blow, Watson showed no sign of injury previously and as soon as the uppercut lands and the gets back up you know something is tragically wrong, that type of power in the 11th round when you lose power through being tired is amazing yet in this case tragic
One for sure ..this was the fight that implemented safety for all boxers ...Michael has saved a lot and I mean a lot of boxers lives....God Bless You Michael from Stoke.
Clearly the perfect uppercut did 100% of the damage. It was so fast and perfectly placed. Also about 10 seconds too early. If the ref did the standing 8 count, the surprise across the ring uppercut would have never happened at the end of the 11th.
MrSnivelupagus So far you're the only one that makes sense, Watson couldn't sit down at the last round and couldn't open his mouth to put the gum shield back in,his corner had to know he wasn't right, he was good I have to say.✌
I watched the fight live on television. You could tell that something wasn't right with Michael. After the uppercut at the end of the 11th round and the start of the 12th round. If i could see it from my living room, why couldn't anyone actually at the venue?? It wasn't just the uppercut that caused the damage, his neck hitting the rope also contributed to his injuries.
It's very rare that a fighter wins the first 6 rounds and then the other wins the last 6 rounds. This is what I feel happened in the first fight. It's normally a mixed bag. MCcallum mentioned Watson was the strongest fighter he fought. But, a 35 year old MCallum was able to brutally knock out Watson in the 11th round and looked like he was hurt laid on the floor. I know this will upset a lot of people but Watson was always vulnerable in the later rounds as we tragically found out in this fight.
Watson left it all in the ring but sometimes he didn't conserve energy the way he should have done and consequently was gassed in the final stages of a fight . Should of taken a leaf out of Eubanks book. He's the master of going for a breather and making it look good
Sad aftermath but that has to be one of the best comebacks ever!... He was losing almost every round to Watson and all Watson had to do was survive the last 2 rounds to win.... Watson tried to get him out of there that knock down seemed to have awoken the desperation in Eubanks and he put his all into one shot...that bypassed Watson Guard..... Again beautiful moment but forever tainted by what happened...... Very similar to the Benn vs Gerald fight...
Credit to Eubanks for coming back from the brink… but you could see Watson wasn’t there… his corner should have seen it… hindsight though… watsons look to the corner as the fight is stopped isn’t about winning or losing but surviving…
As much as I hated Eubanks arrogance, he was a great boxer. Sadly this was the end to the very game and likeable M Watson. A very sad and undeserved ending to a wonderful career.
Watson was so close to winning,the fight of the decade, more dramatic turn around than Tyson Douglas,AJ Ruiz or Castillo Corrales. Watson was pure class, Chris too.Nice to see when Benn won the WBC title in Rome against Galvano he gave the belt to Watson.
Should never have been allowed to walk out for the last round. Couldnt get his gum sheild in and he could barely walk ffs. Not nice seeing him after it was stopped. His face totally changed.
We went to Crown and Manor and his family still live across the road from me . What a boxer and man . We hated Eubank here in Islington . Such a shame for Michael . I will never forget that night !
Mike Watson totally focus and he won their first fight and he was unlucky in the return. That uppercut by Chris Eubank at the end of the eleventh save him from being knocked out by Watson. Their two fights in London was a classic.
Haha thanks guys. You can also hear it a tad in the post fight interview after he defeated Nigel Benn too, like when he first says “he errr, he’s the hardest puncher I’ve ever come up against in my life” and when he says “chinny? This man can’t be chinny. No way man, I hit with everything, man.”
what can you say. It was an absolutely beautiful fight. It's very difficult to watch the last round though. I get quite a horrible feeling watching the sheer bravery of Watson. I bet Eubank wished he never said what he did after the fight.
I genuinely cannot work out how these commentators score fights. I'm in round 6 and they're talking about Eubank's dominance in the first 2 rounds. I know scoring is subjective but sometimes there's no grey area and these fellas are very confused. Jim Watt has to be one of the most negative commentators I have ever heard in any sport. Watson is winning round after round and all the man can do is criticise him. I'm all for criticism but you have to balance it with the appropriate praise when you have a man doing as well as Watson is at the halfway point.
This fight and the fight between Gerard McLellan and Nigel Benn are the two best fights I have ever seen... It's sad that people were badly hurt but as a boxer you know the risk and you have to accept it. It's an uncomfortable truth that boxing is at its most compelling when it's at its most dangerous...
I agree Benn vs McLellan was also an incredible and tragic fight. I never missed any and these two were standouts, sadly for the wrong reasons as well as the right ones.
only difference is, Nigel Benn tried to give him brain damage on purpose, by hitting him in the back of the head at least 10 times, and no less. Dirtbag fighter, and a shitty human being/
Roy Jones would have beaten both Eubank and Benn anywhere in the world. Those fights would have been one-sided decisions in my opinion, as were Jones's victories over Toney and Hopkins. Both Brits were wise in keeping their distance from Roy.
@@stevenharris7788 In his prime during the early - mid '90's Roy Jones, possessed almost supernatural hand speed, agility and evasiveness. He never hurt by an opponent in this period, because he was never caught by flush, power punches. Eubank and Benn were terrific, but for these reasons I believe Jones would have beaten both by clear decisions.
Watson shouldn’t have gone out for the 12th you could clearly see he was in trouble smh how the ref or his corner didn’t see that only god knows...God bless Micheal Watson true warrior 🙏
I thought the ref stepped in pretty quickly when he saw Watson was gone. The corner were atrocious though. They had a minute to assess their man, and they still let him walk back out.
Agreed. Compare it to the 2nd Tyson Fury v Deontay Wilder fight where Wilder’s corner throws in the towel in the 7th round to save him serious injury from Fury. Wilder might not have liked it but it might have saved him from permanent damage.
54:30 That's the moment. The moment the fight should have been stopped. When you see a fighter with a stumbling/disturbed 'gait', you stop the fight instantly. That's how you know the brain has been damaged.
I know its not the way we would have wanted improvements made in medical provisions at ringside, but one thing Watson's accident did, was overhaul medical procedures. At least 6 or 7 fighters have suffered the same issues as Michael did, but because oxygen and other medicines and proper medical staff were available, they didn't suffer any lasting effects.
Jim Watt saying that Michael Watson laying in the ring suffering from exhaustion! Just goes to show how naïve they were back then! Like being back in the dark ages! Not once did they say that he could have had a serious brain injury.
@@snowdon3456 watt was unbelievable, even at the time coming out with that crap. It's clear to see at the end of round 11, that there was something wrong.
Easy to say now but look at it from their point of view at the time,their fighter was winning a world title fight with one round to go,he was hurt but if the corner had of stopped it people would have been outraged.. Really sad what happened to a great fighter and man.
Reg gutteridge pointing out the British Board of Control had a representative watching the corner work, shame they didn’t have insurance when Watson quite rightly sued them for lack of medical facilities at the fight. They had to sell their London headquarters to settle only part of the award because they couldn’t raise the rest!! Michael went short because of it.
I was doing ring side security and Watson was in no fit state to fight the last round. I saw him stagger in his walk from his corned to the centre to fight. Shocking refereeing.
A lot of this built up tension resulted from the first fight. Most believed that Watson won but he didn't get the decision. I don't know what everyone was watching but I had Eubank winning 9 rounds in the first fight. Maybe if Watson's disappointment hadn't been bolstered by everyone telling him that he won then this fight wouldn't have been so intense. I think because of the bias the Brit's have against Eubank that contributed to Watson believing he was robbed. He definitely wasn't in my book. Watson is a likeable man and a tragedy like that is felt by everyone. Both men have to live with it, it's hard on them and those close to each of them.
This comment is the correct reading of the first fight. I had Watson 5 up in this fight before the 12th. The 11th I scored even as both went down. To me Watson's work rate won him the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th and 10th. The killer punch was telegraphed in the first fight with 3 seconds left in the 10th: same punch - right uppercut.
Michael will always be my boxing hero. He won the first burbank fight hands down. He took beans pants down and smacks his arse 😂Chris got lucky against Watson. God bless you Mr Watson 😅love you Michael.
Watson was unlucky, he had Eubank down last round, got a little too casual and ran into the UC. Had it not been for that, he would have been champion. Credit to Eubank, he was tough, durable and still had enough for that one last punch.
Thank god the ref stopped it when he did. Unfortunate that they didn’t have a doctor present, and the catastrophic injury that Wilson suffered. Wilson, a true campion worked hard and recovered. Participated in a marathon afterwards and” Finishing the race by his side were Chris Eubank and his neurosurgeon, both of whom had become his personal friends.”
Watson put so much pressure on Eubank that he didn't know what to do about it. When that happens and you can't deter the guy from stalking you it has to be one hell of a desperate feeling.
I disagree too. Of the Watson, Benn, Eubank era, as much as most people can't stand him, Eubank beat all of them nor lost to any of them. He was such a powerful, unpredictable fighter. This fight affected Eubank and he was never the same afterwards.
Mick Mick personally I liked benn as I think he went on to greater things than eubank. but no doubt 3 great british middleweights and some of the all time great british fights involving the three.
Eubank never fought any top fighters that weren't British though, or Irish in Collins case. To be at the top level of boxing you need to fight in America, or at least fight top international opponents. Benn, Calzaghe and Froch did, Eubank didn't though, his career was full of hand picked easy paydays. For that reason I'll always respect Benn more, irrespective of Eubank beating him in '90. Watson did get knocked out by Mike Mcallum too, straight after beating Benn.
Chris Eubank v Michael Watson for the world super middleweight title, twenty-six years ago in London.Michael Watson is an Arsenal fan fighting at White Hart Lane, the home of our rivals, Tottenham Hotspur.Watson was robbed at Earl's Court and Eubank didn't want to admit it. Watson did well in their rematch when he put Eubank down in the end of the eleventh, but Watson made a mistake and he paid for it and was decked and he was stopped in the twelfth. Michael Watson from Islington and an Arsenal fan and was so close, but Eubank is too unpredictable.
