Nicky Cook Update: Prolapsed Disc in Back, Overnight Hospital Stay
by Scott Christ on Jul 16, 2011 7:42 PM EDT
in Boxing News Analysis
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Nicky Cook lost his bid for the WBO super featherweight title earlier today, a TKO-1 defeat at the hands of Ricky Burns, but the unfavorable speculation about the fight continues today, and won't be done until the British Boxing Board of Control has a look. As we mentioned earlier, betting on the fight was shut down earlier today in the UK, as there was a load of suspicious activity coming in on a Burns win in the third round. Even if you go past what's actually suspicious (a sudden massive amount of bets on that particular outcome), the bet seems shady simply because Burns (32-2, 9 KO) isn't a puncher by any means.
Sky Sports has reported that Cook has a prolapsed disc in his back and will be staying overnight in the hospital. The thing is this: I don't think anyone believes that Nicky Cook is faking an injury. He's had back injuries before and quite obviously was in no shape to fight this evening.
What's suspicious is that the fight had so many bets coming in for the third round stoppage. I don't think this is a situation where people are saying that Nicky Cook came in having agreed to lay down and lose the fight. More likely, it's a situation where information was leaked about Cook being in no shape to fight, which opens up the question: Why was he fighting in the first place? How did he get past the exams with this condition, which sent him to the canvas almost immediately? He clearly had no business being in the ring, and it's really not strong to call this fight a farce. One of the men in there physically should not have been in there. I don't even think you can argue that. It's clear as day.
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In the Telegraph article from Friday, Cook said his back condition will never go away and “one of the issues is a lack of fluid in that area.”
The article also mentions that he needed two attempts to make weight, having to work out for 25 mins to sweat off the few ounces that he was over by. Given that a lack of fluids was mentioned as an issue, I’m wondering if dying out to make the weight might have aggravated his condition?
TheBoxingBulletin.com
I think new of his condition leaked, and that the condition was made worse, as A.F. above suggests, by dehydration. It makes people think of Green-Briggs, a shifty business is seemed, but it also seems like Solis collapsing due to his knee and Agbeko collapsing because of his sciatic condition. Shit happens, not sure it’s fair to jump on them so hard. The betting thing suggests leaks and lack of faith in his own ranks, but I’m not sure that’s really corruption.
There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else--James Thurber, 1939
The betting thing suggests leaks and lack of faith in his own ranks, but I’m not sure that’s really corruption.
The question isn’t absolutely about corruption, the question is whether or not he ever should have been allowed to fight at all. I think the answer quite obviously is no.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Jul 16, 2011 8:09 PM EDT up reply actions
You’re probably right, but I try to stay nonjudgmental on it—lots of fighters fight on with chronic injuries, it’s an injury-prone sport. Paulie Malignaggi’s still boxing with terrible hands, for instance—if, in his next fight, he were, god forbid, to suffer a fight and maybe career-ending hand injury 15 seconds into the first round, everyone would likely be yelling about he should never have been fighting. And that’s not at all an impossible scenario. But I haven’t heard much of anybody saying right now that he shouldn’t fight again, most are thinking up future matches for him and looking forward to seeing him fight.
I also thought it was weird the way people jumped all over Solis re the Klitschko fight, even though it was essentially the same as what happened to Yuri Foreman at Yankee Stadium. Shit happens. It seems as tho’ if the fight has gone say, over 4 rounds and something like that happens, nobody gets too excited about it, but if it happens right at the start of the fight, they blame the fallen fighter. But bone and joint stuff just happens when it happens.
There’s a strong bias in favor, generally, of cheering on those who persevere against chronic injury and pain, which fuels the will of somebody like Cook—it’s a bias that sometimes backfires really badly, as here. But his doctors said he could, so he did—probably because he had been sparring OK it seemed OK, then the unexpected, unplanned dehydration triggered catastrophe. Fighters’ doctors’ assessments are just plain wrong sometimes, but they’re all they’ve got to go on.
There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else--James Thurber, 1939
I'm so bummed I never heard the rumors
I wouldn’t have been so optimistic for the 3rd round, but I would have just gone on Burns to win by stoppage for decent enough odds anyway.
What a shame for Ricky Burns though – he had been worried about it being all English judges and referee, and it looked like he was going to have to win clearly to get a decision. I thought it would have been a good fight if Cook had anything left. Hopefully his next fight is a real one.
"I live what you talk. I Live What You Talk.'’ (Bernard Hopkins)
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