The tragic events in Sheffield have got the 'anti boxing' bandwagon well and truly rolling again.
Paul Ingle was in that ring because he loved the sport. Having heard some of the pathetic rhetoric from the banning lobby you would have thought he and every other fighter are dragged into the ring kicking and screaming.
Britain's 'do-gooders' seem to be hell-bent on stopping two consenting adults taking part in a traditional sport.
As we all know, hindsight is a gift money cannot buy. I think that when they look at it again, Ingle's corner will regret not pulling out their man in the 11th round.
I thought it was clear from early on that Ingle was being totally outboxed. From midway through the fight his face resembled a road map. When he was knocked down in the 11th round it was obvious that not even a miracle of biblical proportions would enable him to retain his title.
His corner state that he wanted to go on and fight the last round. But surely they have a duty of care towards their fighter which makes them say enough is enough. Another fighter to claim he was all right at the end of an 11th round was Michael Watson.
Trainers can have the final say, whatever the boxer thinks. Legendary cornerman Eddie Futch had the guts and intelligence to pull Joe Frazier out of the Thrilla in Manila in 1975, despite Frazier's protestations.
Every boxing pundit and medical expert connected with that contest backed Futch all the way. Even today people state that had Ali and Frazier come out for that final round there would have almost certainly been a fatality. If Futch can pull his man out of one of the greatest bouts in history, then anyone can.
Certain aspects of the Sky Tv coverage were insensitive and misinformed. It was as if Ingle was all but swept under the carpet. As he was being taken to hospital, presenter Paul Dempsey told us that Frank Maloney had told them that it was merely a precaution, it was nothing serious.
I was disgusted when a couple of hours later, Sky choose to re-run the whole fight, including slow motion footage of the punch which threatened to take Paul Ingle's life.
There were eight other fights on that bill, why couldn't they have shown them and just given updates from the hospital? Tabloid broadcasting is inevitable, but gutter TV is unacceptable. Maybe as viewers we should all vote 'with our fingers.
As you know Christmas is a time for giving and those nice people at EA Sports have given me a copy of FIFA 2001 for the Playstation to give away. It's a great game that will give hours of fun. There's even an edit option which allows the Albion to be put into the fray. Needless to say, with me in the dugout, they walked the Premiership and Luis Figo certainly didn't get up when Charlie Oatway took him out in the Champions League final.
To win this great prize just answer the following question: Who is currently Albion's top scorer?
Send your answer to Hart of the Matter, Playstation Comp, Argus House, Crowhurst Road, Brighton. Closing date is Friday, January 5, 2001.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article