First viewed : 21 September 1991
I'm not normally a boxing fan but I did see this seminal encounter between Chris Eubank and Michael Watson for the vacant WBO super-middleweight title. It was a re-match, the two having fought each other three months earlier, a fight I'd seen on either Sportsnight or Midweek Sports Special . That one went the distance and against all expectations, the judges gave it to Eubank.
In common with most casual viewers, I'd come to detest Eubank for his pretentious verbosity and bite-the-hand-that-feeds-you comments on the sport. In the ring he was sloppy and often looked only half-interested, though not easy to beat. Watson, a calm, likeable guy, with no love for his opponent, was incensed by the decision and came into the ring with an intensity that was obvious from the word go.
Watson dominated the fight with sustained aggression and finally got Eubank down in the eleventh round. Eubank however was up at four and caught Watson off guard with an uppercut that floored him in turn. Watson couldn't recover and the fight was stopped early in the twelfth.
Watson of course suffered a near-fatal brain haemorrhage lying prone in his corner while Eubank prattled on about how he must have been on drugs. It was only right at the end of the programme that presenter Jim Rosenthal realised that something might be amiss. Watson's subsequent battles to regain his facilities and compensation for the appalling ringside neglect are well-documented.
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