Boxing coach Paschal Collins says the fight between Chris Eubank Junior and Nick Blackwell should have been stopped after eight or nine rounds.
Blackwell was placed an induced coma after the fight which ended in the 10th round after suffering a bleed to the brain and footage later emerged that showed Eubank's father Chris Senior advising his son to avoid striking his opponent to the head in order to prevent further injury.
Collins, who called a halt to the fight between Eubank Junior and his own fighter Spike O'Sullivan after seven rounds in December when the Irishman suffered issues with his eardrum during the bout, told Off The Ball that the Blackwell-Eubank fight should have been stopped earlier than it was.
"When it got to that point after seven or eight rounds, I think Nick Blackwell's corner should have came to the conclusion that Eubank was not going to tire out, so I'd have come back with a different tactic, maybe get outside and cross your arms after getting them upper cuts. If that doesn't work, I think I probably would have stopped it after eight or nine rounds. I don't think Nick had that one-punch knockout power," said Collins, who also spoke about Blackwell's style and background, as well as the challenge for the referees in those situations.
"I'd rather see a fight get stopped premature than a fight get stopped too late," he added.
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