Shane Cameron's manager Ken Reinsfield wanted the "Fight of the Century" against David Tua stopped after round one.
Reinsfield said in the post-fight press conference on Saturday night it had been a team decision to carry on after two knock-downs in the opening round, but New Zealand Boxing Association president Lance Revill said Reinsfield had wanted to throw in the towel at the first break, but it was Cameron himself who wanted to fight on.
"That's what I've been told," Revill said yesterday.
As it happened, a seven-second, 13-punch Tua assault on Cameron finished the fight early in the second round anyway, and Cameron was taken to hospital, but just as a precaution, according to Reinsfield.
Revill, who refereed Tua's three previous New Zealand fights, stood in two fights on Saturday night and had a 16-year professional career of his own, said the fight should have been stopped earlier and much-hyped referee Bruce McTavish let the fight go on dangerously too long.
"It should have been stopped at least six punches earlier.
"[Cameron] had dropped his head and wasn't defending himself or throwing punches. That's a key indicator to a referee. That fight went too long."
Revill said he didn't want to criticise McTavish's performance, because it was a difficult job and had he called the fight off earlier he would have also come under fire.
Tua was too powerful, too fast and a class, if not two, above Cameron. But Revill said the fighters weren't as big a mismatch as their corners were, and it was that and poor tactics which cost Cameron.
"That fight wasn't a mis-match," he said. "But the tactics were all wrong for Cameron."
Revill said talk of Cameron needing to stay away from Tua was misguided and the 31-year-old should have got closer to Tua if anything.
"He needed to go after Tua, and get close. That might have put Tua off and taken away his power. If you stay away, David can swing and when he gets going, well you saw what happened, but if you get close, sure you'll wear one or two, but if David is more likely to throw one or two then defend; you won't wear six or seven."
He said Cameron needed to adopt the tactics of Evander Holyfield in the infamous ear-biting fight with Mike Tyson in 1997.
"Holyfield got so close, Tyson couldn't swing and got frustrated, that's when he bit his ear. That was the way for Cameron to win, to frustrate."
A lack of a top-level corner hurt Cameron. "They're just inexperienced," Revill said of Cameron's support team.
"Ken (Reinsfield) just got into boxing because he was a bucket-man for Kevin Barry and (trainer) Lollo (Heimuli) is a kick-boxer. On the other side you have (Tua's trainer) Roger Bloodworth, who's trained numerous champions.
"So in one corner you had an expert and people who can read a fight; in the other you had guys that have never fought. That's a big difference."
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/2932162/Camerons-manager-wanted-fight-stopped-before-round-2
Was mostly based on me predicting that Tua was old and past it and had, to quote Mike Tyson, "lost his fighting guts"- not so much that I thought Cameron was anything special.
