Tony Weeks and the curious case of the boxing Yips.

[Luckybattles]

Not that it matters but I am a licensed Psychologist. Anyways, this Tony Weeks situation is out of control and reminds me of athletes across other sports who have suddenly lost their ability to perform due to psychological factors. Most notable happens in baseball when a player suddenly loses the ability to make a throw or perform some kind of routine play. This has been referred to as the Yips and I would not be at all surprized if Tony Weeks is currently struggling with psychological factors that are interfering with his ability to make decision in the ring. Overall, he looks confused and lost and his behavior in the ring has recently shown serious questions and concerns.. Even his explanation makes no sense. " His eyes seemed to roll back." Huh, this is boxing, and that happens when fighters get hit in the head. I hope that the possibility of Tony struggling with the Yips is investigated as a serious possibility.

[AngryGoon38]

Good post. I agree. Refs really need to be for the fighting man. It's boxing, not ballet !!

I would've utilized the standing 8 count if I were reffing that bout(Ortiz-Lawson).

I like the baseball analogy.

I thought of "Dontrell Willis" while I was reading you're baseball analogy.

I remember when he suddenly couldn't get the ball over the plate anymore.

Hitters picked up on that Very Rapidly. They just simply stood at the plate waiting to get that free trip to first base.

[skanksta]

Yep understandable, but makes him a crap ref ruining fights sadly.

Needs some time off, see a shrink.

[gilgamesh]

Tony Weeks once awarded a man a TKO victory for 3 consecutive low blows.

He's been a bad referee more often than he's been a good one in my opinion.

[gregregegg]

It was a bit early…. But you need context. Had this been a live fight then that’s a really bad stoppage. But if world number 100 is in with a killer, is a 20-1 underdog, and getting hit without responding I’d rather it stopped than waiting for someone to get hurt in a mismatch.

Ultimently the fight should not even been sanctioned in my opinion. So I’d rather it stopped befor it even started.

End of the day he took 20 unanswered punches from a guy that bangs. Didn’t really look like he had a plan, didn’t really look upset with the stoppage either.

[margaret thatcher]

It was a bit early…. But you need context. Had this been a live fight then that’s a really bad stoppage. But if world number 100 is in with a killer, is a 20-1 underdog, and getting hit without responding I’d rather it stopped than waiting for someone to get hurt in a mismatch.

Ultimently the fight should not even been sanctioned in my opinion. So I’d rather it stopped befor it even started.

End of the day he took 20 unanswered punches from a guy that bangs. Didn’t really look like he had a plan, didn’t really look upset with the stoppage either.

it was round 1 ffs. the very first offensive burst of the fight. hardly any of those punches landing clean. lawson keeping his guard tight. it was more than a bit early. ya it was an obvious mismatch, but as long as these guys are actually in the ring facing each other lawson needed to be given more of a chance.

ortiz himself was clearly hurt a lot more when he fought that lithuanian dude

[margaret thatcher]

and ya he was upset with the stoppage. he starts talking to weeks when weeks is holding him and then was raging in his corner moments after

with that type of stoppage he was probably dumfounded and not sure wtf was going on at first. look at the crowd it was the same reaction.

its defo up there for one of worse stoppages that ive seen, though i can remember some worse ones. all time worst is still ovil-enzo 1. basically take this situation but with only 1 shot coming in and a more even match

[Sendo Takeshi]

I don't know who to trust at this point.

No matter how you look at it, it seems like a crazy bad stoppage.
I definitely agree with @gregregegg though.
This fight should've never happened.
You can't have someone be a -5000 favorite in the fighting game. That's ridiculous.
You can't tell me there is actually a commission who cares about fighters health, if they let fights like those happen.

[margaret thatcher]

ooh new drama

if what weeks says is true it's of course totally crazy and dangerous lawson was anywhere near a ring. he should never box again if that was actually discovered and weeks isnt just trying to cover his arse

[handsofstone]

Surely Weeks isn't making this up, he's had flak before and never done anything like this, it's a legal nightmare for something that's false, I'm inclined to believe it tbh

[ldlamb]

Good post. I agree. Refs really need to be for the fighting man. It's boxing, not ballet !!

I would've utilized the standing 8 count if I were reffing that bout(Ortiz-Lawson).

I like the baseball analogy.

I thought of "Dontrell Willis" while I was reading you're baseball analogy.

I remember when he suddenly couldn't get the ball over the plate anymore.

Hitters picked up on that Very Rapidly. They just simply stood at the plate waiting to get that free trip to first base.

No standing 8 count in Nevada, right

[maverick23]

A couple of points re: Week’s comments.

In my opinion a referee shouldn’t even be brought in the loop on any pre fight issues with a fighter’s health. It creates a conscious bias and as we saw it impacted his performance.

A doctor with the Nevada commission cleared Lawson to fight. It’s boxing so nothing surprises me and it could be a case that the commission/Golden Boy went Doctor shopping. Even so Weeks isn’t a doctor and wouldn’t have been directly involved in conversations about Lawson’s scans.

For some reasons brain scans in boxing aren’t black and white in how they’re interpreted. I think in the U.K. fighters have annual brain scans and the scans are compared year-on-year. Jamie Moore retired because he had changes to his brain on consecutive scans so got another Doctor’s opinion who, surprise surprise, told him to get out ASAP. He was still allowed to fight though and went on to lose to Khomitsky.

If there was clear evidence of brain aneurysm then of course Lawson shouldn’t have been fighting. Not all scans will pick it up though and it will also depend on the type of scan they’ve done as some are more accurate than others in giving a firm diagnosis.

It’s a really bad look for all involved and should be investigated but no one, other than potentially a journalist, will.

[AngryGoon38]

Good post. I agree. Refs really need to be for the fighting man. It's boxing, not ballet !!

I would've utilized the standing 8 count if I were reffing that bout(Ortiz-Lawson).

I like the baseball analogy.

I thought of "Dontrell Willis" while I was reading you're baseball analogy.

I remember when he suddenly couldn't get the ball over the plate anymore.

Hitters picked up on that Very Rapidly. They just simply stood at the plate waiting to get that free trip to first base.

No standing 8 count in Nevada, right

If I were a boxer having to fight in Nevada, and if I were backed against the ropes, taking just a few hits amongst a sudden energy burst barrage from my opponent, then I would make sure to take a knee, even if I'm not actually hurt, just before a paranoid ref waves it off prematurely.

Not having the standing 8 count in effect, or utilized, is Quite Lame in theory.
But, if a boxer bears that in mind though, then he would be mindful about doing what he has to do in order to remain in the bout. So longs the basic mental faculties remain intact, it really would be a very common sense based strategy, or just flat out instinct to know to take a knee, right off the bat, if you're backed into A corner while you're opponent is Really Barraging and essentially going all out for broke.

Just seems like A very common sense adaptation. Especially with these paranoid stop early refs, combined with a no standing 8 count in effect bout.
And also, unfortunately, a paranoid stop happy ref likely won't even bother incorporating a standing 8 count anyway, even if it Was a Viable and Legal Option.

[omalley]

A couple of points re: Week’s comments.

In my opinion a referee shouldn’t even be brought in the loop on any pre fight issues with a fighter’s health. It creates a conscious bias and as we saw it impacted his performance.

A doctor with the Nevada commission cleared Lawson to fight. It’s boxing so nothing surprises me and it could be a case that the commission/Golden Boy went Doctor shopping. Even so Weeks isn’t a doctor and wouldn’t have been directly involved in conversations about Lawson’s scans.

For some reasons brain scans in boxing aren’t black and white in how they’re interpreted. I think in the U.K. fighters have annual brain scans and the scans are compared year-on-year. Jamie Moore retired because he had changes to his brain on consecutive scans so got another Doctor’s opinion who, surprise surprise, told him to get out ASAP. He was still allowed to fight though and went on to lose to Khomitsky.

If there was clear evidence of brain aneurysm then of course Lawson shouldn’t have been fighting. Not all scans will pick it up though and it will also depend on the type of scan they’ve done as some are more accurate than others in giving a firm diagnosis.

It’s a really bad look for all involved and should be investigated but no one, other than potentially a journalist, will.

This, exactly, and including Weeks himself. Weeks should have refused to be a referee. He should have said all this before the fight.

[p4p1]

Good post. I agree. Refs really need to be for the fighting man. It's boxing, not ballet !!

I would've utilized the standing 8 count if I were reffing that bout(Ortiz-Lawson).

I like the baseball analogy.

I thought of "Dontrell Willis" while I was reading you're baseball analogy.

I remember when he suddenly couldn't get the ball over the plate anymore.

Hitters picked up on that Very Rapidly. They just simply stood at the plate waiting to get that free trip to first base.

It didn’t even deserve a standing count. He was rocked a bit from the jab but never really in any trouble.