Wayne McCullough

Neri · Post by **Neri** » 17 Jul 2005, 00:51

With the limelight on Khan and Taylor-Hopkins I thought the Pocket Rocket deserved a post of his own, it was sad to see him retired by the doctor but i think it was right, i dont care how well he can take a punch its not a nice sight seeing his head get rattled time and again. I dont doubt he can still be competetive but i would like to see him retire now. I have enjoyed watching his many battles.

states · Post by **states** » 17 Jul 2005, 00:57

Couldn't agree more mate. I actually felt he took a worse beating from Scott Harrison, but nobody had the bollocks to pull him out. The man has a chin of pure granite, but it's only going to get him hurt at the age of 35.

I know he was competitive in the first Larios fight, and that he's come back so many times, but surely he has no more great fights in him, at that age. Retire whilst you can still choose to Wayne, you have nothing to prove to anyone.

Manos de Oro · Post by **Manos de Oro** » 17 Jul 2005, 04:22

Yeah, sad, sad scenes. Even sadder considering they weren't all that surprising. I went for Larios TKO 9 but was cheering Wayne on from the off. In those early rounds he looked a million dollars, but it just started slipping away and getting more and more painful to watch. Big decisions to be considered now...

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 17 Jul 2005, 04:55

I infact disagree with the stoppage, it was nothing like the beating he took against Harrison and if the judges would have scored some of the close rounds to Wayne then the fight would have been close on the cards.

I only gave Wayne the 3rd and 4th but 5,6,9,10 were closish rounds. Larios won four rounds big. I very much doubt Wayne won 5,6,9,10 on the cards but it was not beyond the realms of possibility and therefore the fight might have been tight on the cards.

They asked Wayne if he wanted to continue, he of course said yes BUT also responded by having much better rounds in 9 and 10.

I thought it was a bit rediculous Steele asking between 9 and 10. It was fine asking between 8 and 9 (a big Larios round) but Wayne did well in the ninth.

Brave effort again, but perhaps should call it quits. There are lesser champions than Larios and more winnable title fights but who will want to fight him.

Give it to Larios, he seems to be king of the returns.

Cannibal · Post by **Cannibal** » 17 Jul 2005, 09:13

I also disagree with the stoppage, Wayne was still throwing leather back when he got hit, was keeping his gloves up, wasn't punch drunk, was coherent in the corner and raised his efforts when threatened with stoppage. Heartbreaking for me to see Wayne breakdown at being stopped.

Hesketh Vampire · Post by **Hesketh Vampire** » 17 Jul 2005, 09:17

Unfortunately for Wayne it seems that since he came up from bantam he can live with the top fighters but not beat them. Not that he's fought any soft options - Daniel Zaragoza, Naseem Hamed, Eirk Morales, Scott Harrison and now Larios twice. Personally I'd like to see him retire, he's the kind of guy who can take more punches than is good for him.

dwo 27 · Post by **dwo 27** » 17 Jul 2005, 10:53

I can understand why it was stopped but I personally thought he should have been allowed to carry on, there was only 2 rounds to go and he was still throwing shots back.

I hope he retires now, he's got a good career ahead of him in the media and would make a good trainer.

Old bones Ian · Post by **Old bones Ian** » 17 Jul 2005, 13:14

dwo 27 wrote:I can understand why it was stopped but I personally thought he should have been allowed to carry on, there was only 2 rounds to go and he was still throwing shots back.

I hope he retires now, he's got a good career ahead of him in the media and would make a good trainer.

Can't agree with you on the stoppage , i thought it was the right thing to do, Wayne wasn't going to win on points, and a Knockout for him wasn't looking likely either, I'd rather Wayne got pulled out of the fight than get more damage.
He is a very brave man and will be heartbroken not to have heard the final bell, but no-one will think less of him, everyone could see how much it hurt him to get stopped, and the crowd knew it wasn't his decision.

I to hope he retires and goes into training, i think he'd make a natural in that line of work

steve689 · Post by **steve689** » 17 Jul 2005, 14:07

I also agreed with the stoppage, just because Wayne always takes plenty of leather it has become the norm to let him carry on time and again, finally some common sense and he was pulled out. He has little left at the top level and without fighting at the top level where does he have to go? He cannot take continous beatings all the time...i picked him to get stopped last time versus Larios but he gave a massive effort and i was persuaded he would last the distance this time round, he should retire he has nothing left to prove.

Lefthookhappy19 · Post by **Lefthookhappy19** » 17 Jul 2005, 16:10

Does anyone else find it kind of odd that no matter what happens to Wayne in the ring his wife Cheryl always wants him to continue fighting? She seemed to be campaining even more than Wayne for him to get his licence back when he failed the brain scan. Its freaky, he takes a pounding in the ring and shes sitting with a big smile on her face in the crowd. Maybe she's a woman of expensive tastes. Like the old injured quarterbacks wife in that Al Pacino movie, Any Given Sunday.

dnahar32 · Post by **dnahar32** » 17 Jul 2005, 16:28

The beating that Wayne McCullough took was a disgrace and I'm glad that the doctor stopped the fight. I couldn't count on 5 hands the number of flush, hard punches Larios landed. And while McCullough held his own early, there was a point in the 4th or 5th round where his head slumped down after receiving a punch.

Instead of just looking at this fight, consider the MRI scan that Wayne McCullough just barely passed. It is telling that several BBBC doctors resigned when their decision was overturned. When there is any doubt involving the brain, you have to say no.

Jerry Quarry suffered from pugilistica dementia after taking too many punches. A fighter like McCullough with an all-time great chin will always realize too late if he is washed up. He will reason that he isn't shot because he can take the punches without going down.

If you think the stoppage was unjustified, you are a barbaric fan of the sport and should go visit a punch-drunk fighter to see how they live. But if you care for McCullough the human being, he should have retired then and definitely should now.

silkov · Post by **silkov** » 17 Jul 2005, 16:28

Lefthookhappy19 wrote:Does anyone else find it kind of odd that no matter what happens to Wayne in the ring his wife Cheryl always wants him to continue fighting? She seemed to be campaining even more than Wayne for him to get his licence back when he failed the brain scan. Its freaky, he takes a pounding in the ring and shes sitting with a big smile on her face in the crowd. Maybe she's a woman of expensive tastes. Like the old injured quarterbacks wife in that Al Pacino movie, Any Given Sunday.

Ouch!... I know what you mean though, bit of a contrast to how Barry Mcguigans wife reacted when he was in tough battles... but then she wasn't his manager?!.... :x 8)

Hesketh Vampire · Post by **Hesketh Vampire** » 17 Jul 2005, 16:44

Come on, anyone here got a wife? They want you to earn more money, all the time, that's their job - to get you "providing" for their "nest-building"!

silkov · Post by **silkov** » 17 Jul 2005, 16:49

Hesketh Vampire wrote:Come on, anyone here got a wife? They want you to earn more money, all the time, that's their job - to get you "providing" for their "nest-building"!

Tell me about it!.... :x :x :x

DavidPayne · Post by **DavidPayne** » 18 Jul 2005, 04:10

Idont think anyone should question Cheryl's devotion to her husbands well being.

Imagine living with Wayne, if you've made him quit.

I'm sure she understands Wayne's personality and guts more than any of us.

McCullough is the kind of guy who would give anyone in history a fight, but would never win versus the top guys.

If he had just 20% more power he'd have been a formidable fighter. Not that he wasn't but you catch my drift.

Perhaps McCullough should regroup and challenge for the European title versus Pickering, because you know he aint gonna quit.

revporl · Post by **revporl** » 18 Jul 2005, 04:22

They were right to pull him out when they did, although he had been very competetive earlier in the fight. I'm sure there are still a lot of fighters out there who Wayne can beat, but for the sake of his health and reputation, he should thing about retirement now.

silkov · Post by **silkov** » 18 Jul 2005, 06:23

I'm sure his wife cares very much about him and he doesn't strike me as someone who can be told what to do that easily.
He should retire though, I feared that he wouldn't be able to reproduce the form of the first Larios fight and that this time Larios would be better and that is basically what happened. Wayne just seemed like his batteries were worn out after about the 5th and he had nearly no offense to speak of after that. He has an amazing heart but this will get him into trouble if he continues to box, no one can keep taking so many punches without having to pay a price down the line.

J · Post by J » 18 Jul 2005, 06:30

think that Wayne will retire now.

i had no problem with the stoppage, Wayne has althe credentials of a disaster witing to happen.

1. at end of his career
2. got a chin and heart too good for his own good
3. had medical problems previously.
4. was in a quick paced fight and was running out of gas and stood no chance of winning.

id rather a premature stoppage than a lifetime for wayne suspended in some state of disarray.

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 21 Jul 2005, 18:17

Now, I don't know much about the details of Wayne's scan but if there is still ANY doubt over his scan results then he shouldn't be licenced.

I got the distinct impression that Steele and Goodman were taking his previous MRI trouble when continually questioning whether he should continue. I don't think that is something that needs to be done, if there is a doubt then he shouldn't be licence - there should be no "bias" in the refereeing, every fighter deemed fit to fight should be given a clean slate.

Now McCullough vs Harrison should have been stopped, that was a beating. I don't think this one should have because Wayne was well in the fight when they first had a look at him and in the 9th and 10th he might have brought himself back in the fight.

I think there is a case (albeit a small one) for Wayne to have won the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 9th, 10th. I personally only gave Wayne two of those rounds, but then rounds that I gave to Wayne in the first fight were scored to Larios.