Michael Watson

Michael Watson ( born March 15, 1965 in London ) is a retired British boxer.

Professional career

Watson 1984 pro and won his first 23 fights 21, a draw and a defeat. Then it came on 21 May 1989 on his first big fight: He boxed against Nigel Benn for the Commonwealth title at middleweight. Benn had won up to that point all of his 22 bouts by knockout, but Watson could defeat him surprisingly early. This earned him a WBA title fight against the dreaded Mike McCallum, but then pointed out to him in London on 14 April 1990 its limits, it clearly dominated and slapped in the eleventh round knockout.

He won his next three fights and then called on June 22, 1991 his countryman and WBO titlist Chris Eubank out. He narrowly lost on points, prompting an immediate rematch was agreed a weight class higher for the vacant WBO super middleweight title. This time, Watson was up to the penultimate round of the stronger and could beat his opponent for the first time in his career to the ground. But this countered with a precipitation in the same passage. In the last round Eubank put everything on one card and still won by TKO.

Watson was damaged by the recent fighting in affected and broke even in the ring unconscious together. Since no ambulance was present, he was only admitted with thirty minute delay in the hospital. He spent forty days in a coma and had to go through six operations to remove a blood clot in the brain. After waking from a coma he was paralyzed and became only slowly back a partial functionality of the limbs. In 2003, he made ​​headlines when he was able to finish the London Marathon after six days.