09/23/2022
On this day...
'Let’s move on Chris, it’s all right, it’s ok bruv. Let’s move on in life. Peace and love. I love you Chris. It’s all in the past, let’s move on in life Chris. We’re here together. Let’s live and love. I love you Chris. Let’s move on. We are born warriors, we are real. God bless you Chris.' - Michael Watson
21st September 1991 - White Hart Lane, London
Eubank comes back from the brink of defeat to retain his WBO Super Middleweight Title with a 12th round stoppage of Michael Watson. The celebrations were cut short however, when triumph turned to tragedy.
The pair had previously met in the ring on the 22nd June 1991 and saw both men put on a terrific display of boxing. As the final bell rang to bring the highly competitive contest to a close, the general consensus around ringside was that Watson was just moments away from being crowned the new WBO middleweight world champion, but when the result was announced Eubank had been awarded a majority decision victory to retain his title.
The result sparked outrage and the following morning the back pages of the British newspapers were dominated by disgruntled sports writers' frustrations at what many of them had perceived as a robbery. With the country up in arms, a rematch seemed the only option and Watson was set to face Eubank once again, this time for the vacant super middleweight version of the WBO crown.
In the build up to the fight, Watson trained harder than he'd ever done before, closing himself off from the public and leaving no stone unturned in preparation of body and mind for the challenge ahead.
The rematch took place at White Hart Lane stadium, the former home of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club on the 21st September 1991. The atmosphere was electric inside the stadium as 22,000 eager boxing fans cheered Watson making his ring walk with LL Cool J's 'Mama Said Knock You Out' pumping through the air.
The rematch saw a dominant performance from Watson, who comprehensively outboxed and outworked Eubank for 10 rounds. As the battle entered the 11th round, Watson was comfortably ahead on the scorecards and just 6 minutes away from glory and avenging the loss from 3 months previous.
With just 20 seconds left of the 11th round, Watson landed a short right hand that dropped Eubank to his knees for the 1st time in his career. Eubank picked himself up from the canvas and was on his feet by the count of 3. As soon as the fight resumed, Eubank responded in kind, landing a single, accurately placed uppercut that sent Watson back on his heels and he fell to the canvas, catching the back of his head on the 2nd rope as he went down.
Watson also managed to beat the count and the sound of the bell at the end of the round provided him with 60 seconds of valuable recuperation time. As the two men met in the centre of the ring for the final round however, Eubank, who was eager to capitalise on his success of the previous round landed of flurry of unanswered punches before referee, Roy Francis decided he'd seen enough and stopped the fight.
Francis' decision to stop the fight was met with appeals from Watson's corner but their anger quickly turned to concern when Watson lost consciousness. The crowd, who were previously preoccupied with cheering, booing and in some cases brawling, gradually fell silent. Something was clearly very seriously wrong.
After what seemed like an eternity to those who watched, holding their breath, Watson was placed on a stretcher and carried out of the stadium. After an ambulance had wasted valuable time by taking him to a hospital ill-equipped to handle injuries to the brain, Watson was taken to St Bart's hospital where it was discovered he'd suffered a massive bleed to the brain and underwent surgery in the early hours of the following morning before being placed in Intensive Care. The operation would be the first of 6 times Watson went under the knife.
Watson spent 40 days in a coma as the world watched on, praying he'd pull through. Shortly after waking from his coma, Watson received a visit from none other than Muhammad Ali, a visitation that brought a sense of hope and to him and his family. Watson spent a year in Intensive Care and having rehabilitation treatment before being allowed home.
Watson spent the next six years in a wheelchair, while learning to talk again and to write. Watson improved one little step at a time, each day saw him progressively better than the last. Watson was a tremendous fighter in the ring with indomitable courage, something he was able to utilise during his long and arduous battle to recovery.
In April 2003, Watson was able to show the world how far he'd come since that fateful night when he completed the London Marathon. It took him a total of six days, running for 2 hours each morning and another 2 hours in the evenings. The completion of the marathon is a testament to the fighting spirit of a great warrior. Watson was accompanied for the final leg of the marathon by Eubank and Dr Peter Hamlyn - the Neurosurgeon who carried out the life saving operations on Watson. A truly inspiring, beautiful moment.
Despite not winning a world title during his career, his status as a hero among British boxing fans is firmly secure and his story of triumph in the face of adversity serves as an inspiration to us all.
