British Board To Probe Quickie Manfredo TKO!
www.boxingconfidential.com
Michael Marley
4/13/2007

www.BOXINGCONFIDEBNTIAL.COM has learned that persistent lobbying by Peter Manfredo promoter Jeff Wald has resulted in something which may help restore the fighter's reputation somewhat. Wald has convinced Simon Block, the head of the British Board Of Boxing Control, that referee Terry O'Connnor may have been too quick on the trigger in stopping Manfredo's title challenge against WBO super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe in Wales.

Block is preparing to conduct an official hearing into the matter. O'Connor jumped in stop the match as Manfredo lay against the ropes and Calzaghe rained punches, none of them heavy, upon him. There were 35,000 persons at the big show in Cardiff and millions more watching on HBO and domestic television. No one is expecting the result to be overturned but O'Connor can expect a grilling over his actions. Of course, you have to wonder why the Manfredo accepted a British ref and not a neutral one in the first place

May have been to quick? it was a disgrace to boxing!

It was a real bad stoppage. It doesn't matter how much of an underdog Manfredo was, or if he would have got TKOd anyway, no fight should be stopped like that and EVERYONE deserves a chance to fight until they are done. Peter was FAR from done.

Not that far. I think he would have been koed in the same round. Ref should have warned him though.

I agree it was an earlt stoppage

When a guy is defending himself intelligently (which Manfredo was doing, he was picking off pretty much all the blows with his arms) then the fight shouldn't be stopped.

Not surprisingly the british announcers were very biased, saying "look at all those unanswered punches". THey should have said "look at all those unanswered punches that aren't landing" to be more accurate iMO.

^^^^^Right

But The ref turned it into a farce. If he allowed the fight to continue, manfredo may have shown something. I would never discredit Calzaghe. He was somewhat worried afterwards about something like this happen. And even though I backed Manfredo b4, I always thought he he would not be able to step up to Calzaghe.

I still think it would have been stoppage in some later rounds coz Manfredo was not fighting back. Or maybe it was all a gameplan to give early rounds to Joe and come back in later rounds..

Manfredo wasn't yet hurt, but he was clearly overwhelmed and nearly helpless

Manfrado was not so much hurt as he was clueless and well on his way to being beaten into a defensive shell. Everytime he even thought about throwing a punch he got hit 2-3-5 times. But then again Calz. broke his hand so who knows what could have happened.

Yeah. It might have been a strategy by Manfredo to maybe tire him by fighting defensively and come back later.

Yeah. It might have been a strategy by Manfredo to maybe tire him by fighting defensively and come back later.

Or he was getting his ass kicked. Ali he ain't.

The stoppage was early, but Manfredo didn't want to be there. The ref's English, Calzaghe is Welsh. If anything, the ref would have been rooting for Manfredo.

If he had boxed instead of just collapsing, instead of watching him in a clinic we might have seen him lose a fight.