good on you ed robinson!!

[Coco]

Accidents happen, if the fight had been stopped from a cut from a head clash after 10 seconds, would that be a farce?
This was no Danny Green v Paul Briggs

What's the big difference?

Cook got up 4 times and wanted to continue

[Coco]

Accidents happen, if the fight had been stopped from a cut from a head clash after 10 seconds, would that be a farce?
This was no Danny Green v Paul Briggs

It would be a farce if he went in with a huge cut with a plaster over it.

Face it, it was the old injury. Said he had sciatica, which were exactly the symptoms he complained about in the corner - pain from lower back going down the leg.

A degenerative back problem usually mean degenerative discs between the vertebrae which exposed the spinal nerves causing extreme pain. As someone who has had back issues and sciatica, it's something I know about.

Cook thought he could get away with it and had at least boxed a six rounder. But it was always a poor match.

Yes it was an old injury, many fighters enter the ring carrying injuries of some sort, he thought he could get away with it, he went through a 6 rounder without snagging the injury, for Cook to get down to the weight the training camp must have been vigourous.
There is much more cynical matchmaking than this, stitching Woodhouse up with the weight for one

[crusader]

Accidents happen, if the fight had been stopped from a cut from a head clash after 10 seconds, would that be a farce?
This was no Danny Green v Paul Briggs

What's the big difference?

Cook got up 4 times and wanted to continue

I see more similiarities than differences. Both entering the ring unfit to fight, both go down immediatley, both were in no shape to continue, and before both fights there were strange betting patterns.

[ed robinson]

I actually regret what I said in my interview last night but hindsight is a wonderful thing. At the time I had a few seconds to get to Robert Smith before they threw to me and it was the first question that came into my head. Smith is a good guy and he obviously could not hear the studio chat regarding Nicky discussing his bad back at the weigh-in. He probably did not know about the betting either. I should have eased into it more, informed him of what we knew and asked about Nicky's qualifications to fight for the title and the Board's procedure regarding pre fight medical checks. As I say, it's all so easy with hindsight. Coco is right - Joe Calzaghe has said that he very nearly pulled out before the fight with Lacy because of injuries. Wladimir never mentioned that his Dad was close to death in the build up to his fight with Haye, I'm sure Kevin Mitchell had plenty on his mind going into the fight with Murray. No boxer is ever worry free going into a fight but they think with optimism.

[Dan Dares]

I actually regret what I said in my interview last night but hindsight is a wonderful thing. At the time I had a few seconds to get to Robert Smith before they threw to me and it was the first question that came into my head. Smith is a good guy and he obviously could not hear the studio chat regarding Nicky discussing his bad back at the weigh-in. He probably did not know about the betting either. I should have eased into it more, informed him of what we knew and asked about Nicky's qualifications to fight for the title and the Board's procedure regarding pre fight medical checks. As I say, it's all so easy with hindsight. Coco is right - Joe Calzaghe has said that he very nearly pulled out before the fight with Lacy because of injuries. Wladimir never mentioned that his Dad was close to death in the build up to his fight with Haye, I'm sure Kevin Mitchell had plenty on his mind going into the fight with Murray. No boxer is ever worry free going into a fight but they think with optimism.

Spooky, I was just about to post "If he had a retake, he wouldn't have said it".

I didn't think much of Adam Smith's comment to Bellew - 'do you think the fans deserve more?' After 12 rounds. He should have been saying that to the promoter after the burns fight.

[hurlock]

I actually regret what I said in my interview last night but hindsight is a wonderful thing. At the time I had a few seconds to get to Robert Smith before they threw to me and it was the first question that came into my head. Smith is a good guy and he obviously could not hear the studio chat regarding Nicky discussing his bad back at the weigh-in. He probably did not know about the betting either. I should have eased into it more, informed him of what we knew and asked about Nicky's qualifications to fight for the title and the Board's procedure regarding pre fight medical checks. As I say, it's all so easy with hindsight. Coco is right - Joe Calzaghe has said that he very nearly pulled out before the fight with Lacy because of injuries. Wladimir never mentioned that his Dad was close to death in the build up to his fight with Haye, I'm sure Kevin Mitchell had plenty on his mind going into the fight with Murray. No boxer is ever worry free going into a fight but they think with optimism.

stop being diplomatic.these figures should be in the firing line & have this directed at them.& why hold there hand??is it so you can be friendly at dinner events???
the sport needs to tidy up it's act & sky shouldnt play along with it all the time.

[ed robinson]

I'm not being diplomatic! I'm just saying that I could have done a better job if I'd had some time to think about what I was going to ask. There were / are serious questions about that fight - namely did Nicky deserve a shot at the title? And should he have been passed fit to box? But my job is not to be judge and jury, it is to ask pertinent questions and I could have done a better job and do not deserve credit for being opinionated.

[damianhucker1]

I'm not being diplomatic! I'm just saying that I could have done a better job if I'd had some time to think about what I was going to ask. There were / are serious questions about that fight - namely did Nicky deserve a shot at the title? And should he have been passed fit to box? But my job is not to be judge and jury, it is to ask pertinent questions and I could have done a better job and do not deserve credit for being opinionated.

i have no problem with the way you asked it , i was a bit surprised when you said it but it was true and what everyone else would have been thinking , i know that sky probably would have prefered you stay neutral , but in my view and this probably applies to most people too , you had the balls to say what we were all thinking , and for that i give a big

[gasman]

I'm not being diplomatic! I'm just saying that I could have done a better job if I'd had some time to think about what I was going to ask. There were / are serious questions about that fight - namely did Nicky deserve a shot at the title? And should he have been passed fit to box? But my job is not to be judge and jury, it is to ask pertinent questions and I could have done a better job and do not deserve credit for being opinionated.

I thought you were outstanding last night Ed (and I made a similar thread to this on esb ). You can sleep on it and mull over it but, there is no getting away from what happened - that was a farce and it pretty much summed up what I am sure all of the viewers were thinking. And I was also impressed with Adam Smith when he interviewed Wazza, he was also 100% entitled to question Cook's physical state - let's face it there was nothing else to talk about in the fight.

[leforge]

I'm not being diplomatic! I'm just saying that I could have done a better job if I'd had some time to think about what I was going to ask. There were / are serious questions about that fight - namely did Nicky deserve a shot at the title? And should he have been passed fit to box? But my job is not to be judge and jury, it is to ask pertinent questions and I could have done a better job and do not deserve credit for being opinionated.

Keep up the good work. Will this subject be followed up on ringside?

[Final round]

I'm not being diplomatic! I'm just saying that I could have done a better job if I'd had some time to think about what I was going to ask. There were / are serious questions about that fight - namely did Nicky deserve a shot at the title? And should he have been passed fit to box? But my job is not to be judge and jury, it is to ask pertinent questions and I could have done a better job and do not deserve credit for being opinionated.

I thought you were outstanding last night Ed (and I made a similar thread to this on esb ). You can sleep on it and mull over it but, there is no getting away from what happened - that was a farce and it pretty much summed up what I am sure all of the viewers were thinking. And I was also impressed with Adam Smith when he interviewed Wazza, he was also 100% entitled to question Cook's physical state - let's face it there was nothing else to talk about in the fight.

Completely agree, after the bore fest before that was a absolute joke of a title fight what was the reaction supposed to be?

[Coco]

I believe the questions which Ed, in hindsight, wanted to ask would have been far more pertinent and would have been far more successful in hauling Smith over the coals.
By jumping in and calling it a farce let him of the hook and as it was quite easy to deflect.

[stujones]

Its a tough one, whilst I don't think it was particularly naughty of Ed to describe it as a farce - I think Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I think Ed (as he has said here) should have "eased" Robert Smith into the situation. It was an opinionated opening question which put Smith on the defensive and Smith spend most of it defending the fight... and not answering other questions.

Its a situation in which more facts need to be established.... I was a bit dissapointed that Sky didn't try and find out what was wrong with Cook during the broadcast or leave an update on his condition. I understand why people are angered, but lets not forget there is a fighter with an injury hear who got carried out of the ring in a stretcher....... never a nice sight - prior knowledge of an injury or not, I still have a some sympathy for Cook to have such a debilitating injury.

[leforge]

Its a tough one, whilst I don't think it was particularly naughty of Ed to describe it as a farce - I think Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I think Ed (as he has said here) should have "eased" Robert Smith into the situation. It was an opinionated opening question which put Smith on the defensive and Smith spend most of it defending the fight... and not answering other questions.

Its a situation in which more facts need to be established.... I was a bit dissapointed that Sky didn't try and find out what was wrong with Cook during the broadcast or leave an update on his condition. I understand why people are angered, but lets not forget there is a fighter with an injury hear who got carried out of the ring in a stretcher....... never a nice sight - prior knowledge of an injury or not, I still have a some sympathy for Cook to have such a debilitating injury.

Sky did lets us know what was up with him. Cook should never have been in the ring he knew it as well.

[dondada]

I'm not being diplomatic! I'm just saying that I could have done a better job if I'd had some time to think about what I was going to ask. There were / are serious questions about that fight - namely did Nicky deserve a shot at the title? And should he have been passed fit to box? But my job is not to be judge and jury, it is to ask pertinent questions and I could have done a better job and do not deserve credit for being opinionated.

Ed, being opinionated is not something you nor almost anyone at Sky could be accused of. This is why when you get Harty on, most viewers think he's great or a c*nt - they don't know how to react to someone with an opinion. McGuigan is the closest you've got - and look how Nelson and McCrory reacted when he told it as it is about Frankie Gavin - they couldn't believe he was actually saying something beyond the usual non-committal cliches.

You did a very good job under the circumstances. Anyone would do better if they had time to prepare.

You reacted to what you saw - the events were farcical and the question entirely justified. Even if the injury was out of the blue and genuine, the appearance of farce remained.

[whiskey]

People are letting the injury get in the way of the facts here.

And the fact is that in no shape or form was Cook a world title challenger, fit or not.

I'm sure the promoter would argue that there are limited funds to stage the event, provided by Sky, with which to make a fight card - and ultimately Sky accepted the fight and aired it.

Personally I thought it was a dud when it was put together in the first place. If quality control at Sky had rejected it, perhaps coughed some more money for a better match-up then this series of threads would never have existed.

The rumours of bookies shutting shop, back injuries and so forth just sour the thing even further.

All said and done Murray vs Mitchell saved the show (by some margin thankfully) but at least we can hope lessons have been learned from all parties that pulling a fighter from retirement and plonking him in a world title fight is always going to be a recipe for disaster.

I'd like Burns vs Mendez or Fana next. A proper fight.

[leforge]

People are letting the injury get in the way of the facts here.

And the fact is that in no shape or form was Cook a world title challenger, fit or not.

I'm sure the promoter would argue that there are limited funds to stage the event, provided by Sky, with which to make a fight card - and ultimately Sky accepted the fight and aired it.

Personally I thought it was a dud when it was put together in the first place. If quality control at Sky had rejected it, perhaps coughed some more money for a better match-up then this series of threads would never have existed.

The rumours of bookies shutting shop, back injuries and so forth just sour the thing even further.

All said and done Murray vs Mitchell saved the show (by some margin thankfully) but at least we can hope lessons have been learned from all parties that pulling a fighter from retirement and plonking him in a world title fight is always going to be a recipe for disaster.

I'd like Burns vs Mendez or Fana next. A proper fight.

Sky probably only accepted Cook due to Bellew v Mckenzie fight on the bill.

[JamesH]

Wladimir never mentioned that his Dad was close to death in the build up to his fight with Haye...

(partial hijack) Wladimir Sr. was an impressive man and a huge influence on his sons. His worsening illness will have undoubtedly affected Wladimir in his preparations for the Haye fight but Wlad never breathed a word of it and still hasn't. Mr Klitschko served with distinction as an officer in the Soviet military machine and his work in the aftermath of Chernobyl was noteworthy. He also sired the two best heavyweights on the planet. RIP, Sir.

Even when Haye brought out the toe, Wlad said something about everyone having something going on leading up to fights and that it's usually better not to mention it. He didn't even bring it up then. Incredible man.

[banjo]

Wladimir never mentioned that his Dad was close to death in the build up to his fight with Haye...

(partial hijack) Wladimir Sr. was an impressive man and a huge influence on his sons. His worsening illness will have undoubtedly affected Wladimir in his preparations for the Haye fight but Wlad never breathed a word of it and still hasn't. Mr Klitschko served with distinction as an officer in the Soviet military machine and his work in the aftermath of Chernobyl was noteworthy. He also sired the two best heavyweights on the planet. RIP, Sir.

Even when Haye brought out the toe, Wlad said something about everyone having something going on leading up to fights and that it's usually better not to mention it. He didn't even bring it up then. Incredible man.

I agree with all of this especially about it being better not to mention it, everyone has things going on in their lives which can be distracting, you've just got to suck it up and maybe even make your problems work for you.

[MightyWarrior]

I actually regret what I said in my interview last night but hindsight is a wonderful thing. At the time I had a few seconds to get to Robert Smith before they threw to me and it was the first question that came into my head. Smith is a good guy and he obviously could not hear the studio chat regarding Nicky discussing his bad back at the weigh-in. He probably did not know about the betting either. I should have eased into it more, informed him of what we knew and asked about Nicky's qualifications to fight for the title and the Board's procedure regarding pre fight medical checks. As I say, it's all so easy with hindsight. Coco is right - Joe Calzaghe has said that he very nearly pulled out before the fight with Lacy because of injuries. Wladimir never mentioned that his Dad was close to death in the build up to his fight with Haye, I'm sure Kevin Mitchell had plenty on his mind going into the fight with Murray. No boxer is ever worry free going into a fight but they think with optimism.

No, you were quite right to call it a farce, because that's what it was. Sky need to stand up to FW a bit more - he barged in and spoke to Smith like he was some junior no-body, who had dared to speak in slightly negative terms about his show. Frank seemed to forget that the boot's on the other foot now.

The man can take NO criticism at all - before the bill, Eddie Hearn was big enough to praise Franks show on twitter - something FW would never do for a rival promoter. Then when Eddie said he was a bit disappointed with some of the fights ( who wouldn't have been, with Cook, Gavin and Tony's fights ) FW went right over the top in slagging Ed off on twitter. A real low point

[gobbles]

Wladimir never mentioned that his Dad was close to death in the build up to his fight with Haye...

(partial hijack) Wladimir Sr. was an impressive man and a huge influence on his sons. His worsening illness will have undoubtedly affected Wladimir in his preparations for the Haye fight but Wlad never breathed a word of it and still hasn't. Mr Klitschko served with distinction as an officer in the Soviet military machine and his work in the aftermath of Chernobyl was noteworthy. He also sired the two best heavyweights on the planet. RIP, Sir.

Even when Haye brought out the toe, Wlad said something about everyone having something going on leading up to fights and that it's usually better not to mention it. He didn't even bring it up then. Incredible man.

Puts Haye's hospital comments into context

[Deserter]

I'm not being diplomatic! I'm just saying that I could have done a better job if I'd had some time to think about what I was going to ask. There were / are serious questions about that fight - namely did Nicky deserve a shot at the title? And should he have been passed fit to box? But my job is not to be judge and jury, it is to ask pertinent questions and I could have done a better job and do not deserve credit for being opinionated.

Ed, why didn't any of you mention the highly suspicious betting patterns?

[banjo]

Some of these people need to remember that boxing needs Sky more than Sky needs boxing, having little hissyfits over legitimate quetions that we want answering.

[Buncey]

Ed has done the right thing: Farce was too strong, but perfectly understandable in the chaotic circumstances.
Nobody mentioned the 'back' issue before the first bell. Fact. I keep hearing from people who knew 'the back would not last' but just failed to mention it until...the back went! Odd that.
Ed was in a noisy place, people were shouting and screaming and he picked the wrong word. Look at Robert's face...he's an ex-fighter and a good one and he is shocked at that word. Bizarre, freak, unbelievable, crazy...all work better than the potentially actionable 'farce' - let's not imagine we don't know what the implication is with that word!
Watch the fight again. Cook is in savage agony - I bet Ed has not slept very well since watching a replay. He was big enough to come on here. Smith by the way was equally out of order with his loaded questions to Burns. It was certainly an entertaining night from the grey Men at Sky. I would like to think Smith would also apologise to Burns for his chosen line of questions. It was NOT Ricky's fault in any way.
I would imagine that everybody on here screaming about 'disgrace' etc would be very welcome to meet with Nicky and Paul Cook to discuss their outrage!

Adios.

[Trojans44]

I don't recall smith saying anything out of line to burns at all. Burns attempted to claim he stopped cook with a good body shot which was ridiculous!