Wayne McCullough stopped American Mike Juarez in two rounds in the early hours of this morning.
Returning to the ring for the first time since his 2003 pounding at the hands of Scott Harrison, McCullough, who needs to stay busy, suffered a cut that required five stitches.
Wayne McCullough wins early - but still busts up
He is finished though, should retire.Wayne is a great warrior who won his big fights by skill and attrition. There is no denying that he has had a lot of hard fights and he's now 34 years old. OK, he can still beat journeymen every day of the week but if he steps up in class again a lot of people are afraid he is going to get seriously hurt. None of us know the real story of his brain scan (only the BBBofC and Wayne).
The sad truth is boxer's never know when the time comes to retire, they always go on too long. Often it is their friends and family who persuade them, however I get the impression from interviews that Wayne's missus (Cheryl) is still keen for him to carry on.
For me Wayne has nothing left to prove, he's earned his place in boxing history.
The sad truth is boxer's never know when the time comes to retire, they always go on too long. Often it is their friends and family who persuade them, however I get the impression from interviews that Wayne's missus (Cheryl) is still keen for him to carry on.
For me Wayne has nothing left to prove, he's earned his place in boxing history.
Wayne like many Boxers is too brave for his own good. He has had a wonderfull career and took part in some very tough and entertaining fights and has always mixed in very good company.
But Wayne is a grown man and it's up to him what he does with his life, but like many have said, sometimes Boxers need protecting from themselves.
Scott Harrison put Wayne in hospital and Wayne will not have improved as a fighter since, he will have just gotten older.
I fear for Wayne if he gets a fight with another big strong Featherweight. Wayne has so much pride and such a great chin he could be on the recieving end of another beating.
Personally I wish he would retire.
But Wayne is a grown man and it's up to him what he does with his life, but like many have said, sometimes Boxers need protecting from themselves.
Scott Harrison put Wayne in hospital and Wayne will not have improved as a fighter since, he will have just gotten older.
I fear for Wayne if he gets a fight with another big strong Featherweight. Wayne has so much pride and such a great chin he could be on the recieving end of another beating.
Personally I wish he would retire.
I would agree with the majority of views here but for the fact that his wife is also his manager. Now, I know people have joked on here that she is a tough as Wayne and she certainly seems to be a tough cookie. However, I would say that they have discussed the medical reports on Wayne and know what they are doing.
I do not believe they hard up and Wayne and Cheryl seem like intelligent people, Cheryl would certainly not want to see her young daughter grow up without her father and while of course every boxer is at risk, I think if Wayne was realistically at more risk then he would have retired.
This is exactly what he said in the past, but fought in the courts because he was told (this is what he has said) this by other medical doctors who have examined the scans. He has also said that these abnormalities where probably there at birth and almost certainly there when he turned pro - just because they were made public, why is it now dangerous for Wayne to fight on.
Is it now more dangerous for Marco Barrera who had some kind of tumour in his skull? He has fought some of his hardest fights with a medal plate in his head - now its been made public, now it is the dangerous mistake.
I agree the world ranking is a rediclous, it is unmerited. However, I still think Wayne could do okay at top level if he fought at Super Bantam. Him sticking to Featherweight is dangerous, because all of the champions are big strong natural featherweights.
I do not believe they hard up and Wayne and Cheryl seem like intelligent people, Cheryl would certainly not want to see her young daughter grow up without her father and while of course every boxer is at risk, I think if Wayne was realistically at more risk then he would have retired.
This is exactly what he said in the past, but fought in the courts because he was told (this is what he has said) this by other medical doctors who have examined the scans. He has also said that these abnormalities where probably there at birth and almost certainly there when he turned pro - just because they were made public, why is it now dangerous for Wayne to fight on.
Is it now more dangerous for Marco Barrera who had some kind of tumour in his skull? He has fought some of his hardest fights with a medal plate in his head - now its been made public, now it is the dangerous mistake.
I agree the world ranking is a rediclous, it is unmerited. However, I still think Wayne could do okay at top level if he fought at Super Bantam. Him sticking to Featherweight is dangerous, because all of the champions are big strong natural featherweights.
stujones wrote:I would agree with the majority of views here but for the fact that his wife is also his manager. Now, I know people have joked on here that she is a tough as Wayne and she certainly seems to be a tough cookie. However, I would say that they have discussed the medical reports on Wayne and know what they are doing.
I do not believe they hard up and Wayne and Cheryl seem like intelligent people, Cheryl would certainly not want to see her young daughter grow up without her father and while of course every boxer is at risk, I think if Wayne was realistically at more risk then he would have retired.
This is exactly what he said in the past, but fought in the courts because he was told (this is what he has said) this by other medical doctors who have examined the scans. He has also said that these abnormalities where probably there at birth and almost certainly there when he turned pro - just because they were made public, why is it now dangerous for Wayne to fight on.
Is it now more dangerous for Marco Barrera who had some kind of tumour in his skull? He has fought some of his hardest fights with a medal plate in his head - now its been made public, now it is the dangerous mistake.
I agree the world ranking is a rediclous, it is unmerited. However, I still think Wayne could do okay at top level if he fought at Super Bantam. Him sticking to Featherweight is dangerous, because all of the champions are big strong natural featherweights.
My feeling is that when there is any abnormality of the brain then there is more chance of injury or problems later on in life. Waynes style is not really conductive to a long career as he has always been the type of fighter who needs to take some punches inoder to deliver some. Now he is older and slower this is more pronounced... and this alongside Waynes great heart and chin poses the problem that he is taling more punches than really is healthy. I really hope he retires because when a fighter gets to the stage where their biggest asset is their heart and chin then I think they can be in danger.
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Guest
- Heavyweight
I do feel that many boxers/promoters don't care about medical advice. Boxing is like a drug, and many find it difficult to walk away from. Even when injured.
I think Lennox was right to walk away uninjured when he did, even if he was a fight too late. He shouldn't risk his health just because some fans want him to lose to Klitschko.
I think Lennox was right to walk away uninjured when he did, even if he was a fight too late. He shouldn't risk his health just because some fans want him to lose to Klitschko.
Absolutely, while I haven't always been a huge fan of Lewis I actually respect him for going out when he did and hope he won't come back...... sometimes it takes more strength to say no rather than go along with the yes men and hangers on... Lewis should definately stay retired he was a good fighter and would gain nothing from coming back.
I think that the people around a boxer are often as blinkered as he to signs of decline and heightened risks..... I'm sure Waynes wife cares a lot about him but have the feeling that she feels that he is indestructable.... which ofcourse noone is!.
I think that the people around a boxer are often as blinkered as he to signs of decline and heightened risks..... I'm sure Waynes wife cares a lot about him but have the feeling that she feels that he is indestructable.... which ofcourse noone is!.
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Twinkle Toes
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 3340
- Joined: 22 Sep 2003, 08:38
Actually I think many of Waynes fans want him to quit, as you can see by the threads which discuss him. If you look at Waynes career he has never been as big a force since he moved up from Bantam, and while he gave Morales and Hamed good fights he was clearly beaten and then there was the Harrison fight, so really all indications are that he has seen his best days and there is very little chance of him picking up another world title........ especially at Feather. Personally I will be very worried if Wayne is matched with any of the Featherweight title holders.
Firstly - there is NOTHING wrong with Wayne's brain. He has a cyst in his head. 15 of the top Neurosurgeons from around the world cleared him saying that he was "at no higher risk than any other fighter." Most likely, the cyst was there since birth.
Secondly - if everyone on here knew what happened before, during and after the Harrison fight, you would be horrified. You would certainly be wondering how Wayne was able to stand up for 12 rounds let alone fight for 12 rounds. But it will all be in his book!!
Third - "Wayne's missus" has no problem with him continuing his career because he has had a thorough medical going over and has been given the all clear. They have a family and she would not want anything to happen to him.
Wayne still has his health and whether or not he campains at super bantam or feather, he will be a force in his division - no matter what anyone says.
Secondly - if everyone on here knew what happened before, during and after the Harrison fight, you would be horrified. You would certainly be wondering how Wayne was able to stand up for 12 rounds let alone fight for 12 rounds. But it will all be in his book!!
Third - "Wayne's missus" has no problem with him continuing his career because he has had a thorough medical going over and has been given the all clear. They have a family and she would not want anything to happen to him.
Wayne still has his health and whether or not he campains at super bantam or feather, he will be a force in his division - no matter what anyone says.
sillyjun wrote:Firstly - there is NOTHING wrong with Wayne's brain. He has a cyst in his head. 15 of the top Neurosurgeons from around the world cleared him saying that he was "at no higher risk than any other fighter." Most likely, the cyst was there since birth.
Secondly - if everyone on here knew what happened before, during and after the Harrison fight, you would be horrified. You would certainly be wondering how Wayne was able to stand up for 12 rounds let alone fight for 12 rounds. But it will all be in his book!!
Third - "Wayne's missus" has no problem with him continuing his career because he has had a thorough medical going over and has been given the all clear. They have a family and she would not want anything to happen to him.
Wayne still has his health and whether or not he campains at super bantam or feather, he will be a force in his division - no matter what anyone says.
I am not saying these things to put Wayne down far from it, but his last couple of performances seem to show that he is a depleated force and he did take a horrible beating from Harrison. If he had severe problems outside the ring that night was it wise for him to have gone ahead with the fight?. While I don't doubt that Wayne still has the heart and toughness to face the top men I don't think he has the armoury or speed anymore to really trouble the title holders and my fear is that he will get hurt through having that one hard fight to many. Surely the point where fighters should get out is when they are past their prime and while they still are uninjured, the problem with many fighters is they stay around till they do get a severe injury. I've seen it happen too many times in the 30 years I've followed boxing.
Spot on.silkov wrote:Surely the point where fighters should get out is when they are past their prime and while they still are uninjured.
I always worry when I hear a fighter who is near the end of his career say something like "I've still got a few fights left in the tank". It's when fighters fight untill the "tank" is empty that they get injured and sustain damage.
With respect to Wayne, I think the fact that so many fans want him to retire shows how well respected and liked he is.
In Wayne's fights before Harrison he won by KO 3 times. I do not understand how he was a "depleated force" in his "last few fights."
Wayne is the most loyal and genuine person you could meet and the ONLY reason he fought Harrison was because he had made a commitment to his promoter at the time and he would not let him down - even if it meant damaging his health!!
Wayne knows he is very well liked and respected but he is also extremely healthy - having been tested more than any other fighter in the world - and if there were any signs that he was slipping, whether in the gym or out of it, he would retire.
Wayne is the most loyal and genuine person you could meet and the ONLY reason he fought Harrison was because he had made a commitment to his promoter at the time and he would not let him down - even if it meant damaging his health!!
Wayne knows he is very well liked and respected but he is also extremely healthy - having been tested more than any other fighter in the world - and if there were any signs that he was slipping, whether in the gym or out of it, he would retire.
But who were those wins against???... and your line about how Wayne wouldn't let his promoter down ' eve if it mean damaging his health' says it all I'm afraid!.... it is just the sort of thing that Waynes true fans fear!.sillyjun wrote:In Wayne's fights before Harrison he won by KO 3 times. I do not understand how he was a "depleated force" in his "last few fights."
Wayne is the most loyal and genuine person you could meet and the ONLY reason he fought Harrison was because he had made a commitment to his promoter at the time and he would not let him down - even if it meant damaging his health!!
Wayne knows he is very well liked and respected but he is also extremely healthy - having been tested more than any other fighter in the world - and if there were any signs that he was slipping, whether in the gym or out of it, he would retire.
Hard as it may be to understand there are people like me who while we love boxing and fighters like Wayne we also want to see fighters get out before they are mere shadows of their formerselves... unfortunately there seems to be somepeople who would have fighters carry on till they have trouble skipping rope before they stop... as I said earlier fighters should get out before they have chronic injuries... the fact that someone is not yet chronically injured is not a reason for them to carry on fighting! being fit and fit to fight are very different things!.
Perhaps me and the others are wrong about Wayne, but over the years I've been following boxing I've seen many of the fighters I've watched end up hurt at the end of the day, and its usually always because they don't get out early enough. But at the same time I can understand why fighters find it so hard to stop and if there is really no problem with Wayne and no added risk then perhaps he's right in carrying on.
The thing about Wayne is that he's been in so many tough fights over a long period of time and taken a lot of punches... obvioulsy that is the nature of boxing, but after the Harrison fight and ontop of the Brainscan controversy many of his fans are genuinely concerned about him.
But if Wayne was to win a title and prove everyone wrong there'd be noone more pleased than me.
The thing about Wayne is that he's been in so many tough fights over a long period of time and taken a lot of punches... obvioulsy that is the nature of boxing, but after the Harrison fight and ontop of the Brainscan controversy many of his fans are genuinely concerned about him.
But if Wayne was to win a title and prove everyone wrong there'd be noone more pleased than me.
Wayne doesn't want (or need) to prove anything to anyone but he knows that he has a lot left to give the sport.
If he can bring some enjoyment to his fans along the way then he will be delighted. He knows that he has many, many fans around the world and he appreciates each and every one of them.
We will all just have to wait and see - and to see is to believe!!
If he can bring some enjoyment to his fans along the way then he will be delighted. He knows that he has many, many fans around the world and he appreciates each and every one of them.
We will all just have to wait and see - and to see is to believe!!
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celticwarrior
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 105
- Joined: 30 Oct 2003, 09:57
In all fairness surely Wayne's wife and manager knows him a lot better that any body looking at it from a distance. A lot has been spoken about Wayne's brain scan issues a few years back but very little of it has been informed or particularly accurate. (For an example see Beduff's response to the question why should Wayne McCullough retire - "becuase he has a bad head and a family to think of."!
It's a waste of time to go back over it again but if people are going to use it as a question mark against Wayne then they should at least be able to back it up with some informed comment on it. The cyst that appeared on the MRI scan has probably been there since childhood but was not picked up due to the fact that Wayne's previous scans in Britain were CAT scans. It has not increased in size since being spotted on the MRI scan.
Anyway getting away from that it should be remembered that despite being in some tough fights Wayne has only had 31 pro fights in over a decade as a pro so he really doesn't have that much mileage on the clock.
He doesn't drink or smoke and is always at or around his fighting weight so there's no wear and tear there either. The only bad defeat he's suffered was the Harrison one. He was more than competitive against Morales and Hamed. In fact his last defence as WBC bantamweight champ was probably more taxing than either of the Hamed/Morales fights when he was struggling desperately to make 118 pounds.
I'm sure anyone who's watched Wayne being interviewed on Sky can see how articulate the guy is. He has a great family and has looked after his money well so he certainly doesn't need to fight on for financial gain. He fights because he loves it. I'm sure like every other fighter he will find it difficult to walk away when the time comes but surely Cheryl and people like Freddie Roach are in a better position to judge that than anyone else.
Personally I'd give Wayne an excellent chance against any of the reigning super bantamweight champions. Guzman is probably the best of the bunch but the other three are nothing to get excited about.
It's a waste of time to go back over it again but if people are going to use it as a question mark against Wayne then they should at least be able to back it up with some informed comment on it. The cyst that appeared on the MRI scan has probably been there since childhood but was not picked up due to the fact that Wayne's previous scans in Britain were CAT scans. It has not increased in size since being spotted on the MRI scan.
Anyway getting away from that it should be remembered that despite being in some tough fights Wayne has only had 31 pro fights in over a decade as a pro so he really doesn't have that much mileage on the clock.
He doesn't drink or smoke and is always at or around his fighting weight so there's no wear and tear there either. The only bad defeat he's suffered was the Harrison one. He was more than competitive against Morales and Hamed. In fact his last defence as WBC bantamweight champ was probably more taxing than either of the Hamed/Morales fights when he was struggling desperately to make 118 pounds.
I'm sure anyone who's watched Wayne being interviewed on Sky can see how articulate the guy is. He has a great family and has looked after his money well so he certainly doesn't need to fight on for financial gain. He fights because he loves it. I'm sure like every other fighter he will find it difficult to walk away when the time comes but surely Cheryl and people like Freddie Roach are in a better position to judge that than anyone else.
Personally I'd give Wayne an excellent chance against any of the reigning super bantamweight champions. Guzman is probably the best of the bunch but the other three are nothing to get excited about.
Sillyjun,
I look forward to reading the book, I like many were quite perplexed by Wayne's performance vs Harrison and judging by that performance I am concerned if Wayne remains at Featherweight. Not especially because I worry that Wayne is shot (cause I don't think he is) or that he has a greater health risk (because of the points you make). However, what I worry about in the post fight interview Wayne stated that Harrison's sheer size and strength was a major factor in the fight. Wayne said that Harrison was stronger than both Morales and Hamed. What worries me is that both Chi and Marquez are as big a look to be as strong as Scott.
However, there is the WBA champion Chris John who nobody knows much about, he's a much smaller fighter and could be suiting Wayne better. What you said about Wayne before and after the Harrison fight also makes for interesting reading, as I said it was an uncharacteristic performance and maybe he can do a better job next time. I fully expected to see Wayne walk through the bombs that Harrison threw at him and tipped him to outwork Harrison, I was shocked that he wasn't able to do this. I hope the problems you mentioned about the fight were the cause.
Personally, I would like to see him down at Super Batam as I see him stronger at that weight with weaker champions. He is still a big name and could attract some of the big talent at Bantam for some big matches.
I look forward to reading the book, I like many were quite perplexed by Wayne's performance vs Harrison and judging by that performance I am concerned if Wayne remains at Featherweight. Not especially because I worry that Wayne is shot (cause I don't think he is) or that he has a greater health risk (because of the points you make). However, what I worry about in the post fight interview Wayne stated that Harrison's sheer size and strength was a major factor in the fight. Wayne said that Harrison was stronger than both Morales and Hamed. What worries me is that both Chi and Marquez are as big a look to be as strong as Scott.
However, there is the WBA champion Chris John who nobody knows much about, he's a much smaller fighter and could be suiting Wayne better. What you said about Wayne before and after the Harrison fight also makes for interesting reading, as I said it was an uncharacteristic performance and maybe he can do a better job next time. I fully expected to see Wayne walk through the bombs that Harrison threw at him and tipped him to outwork Harrison, I was shocked that he wasn't able to do this. I hope the problems you mentioned about the fight were the cause.
Personally, I would like to see him down at Super Batam as I see him stronger at that weight with weaker champions. He is still a big name and could attract some of the big talent at Bantam for some big matches.