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Boxing Fans Left Fuming After This Bizarre Moment In Jeff Horn's Corner

Boxing Fans Left Fuming After This Bizarre Moment In Jeff Horn's Corner

Horn's trainers have come under fire after vision emerged of an ugly exchange in the corner late in the fight.

Max Sherry

Max Sherry

In boxing, just like in any sport, there's no shame in going out on your shield.

Calling it quits after a gruelling 25-minute beating - there's nothing wrong with that.

But last night, Jeff Horn's corner were willing to let him take more unnecessary punishment when he clearly couldn't continue - an act that is frowned upon in the boxing world.

Most avid fight fans were probably left scratching their heads, but true boxing die-hards understand the serious ramifications of such an ugly act.

The former WBO welterweight champ was dead and buried, he just needed a calm head to intervene and take control of the tense situation.

Horn looked out on his feet at the end of the eighth round in a physically-demanding battle with Tim Tszyu at the Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville.

Having been dropped a number of times by Tszyu throughout the fight, the all-Aussie battle looked destined to end as 'The Hornet' returned to his corner a broken man.

Looking like a shell of his aggressive, forward-marching self, the visibly-exhausted Horn took his place on the stool as his cutmen and trainers went to work.

But judging by the look on his face, the man who seemingly 'never gives up' had - in fact - given up.

That clearly wasn't the case for some of Horn's team though.

Horn with his trainer Glenn Rushton.
Twitter

Seen engaging in a heated conversation, one member of Horn's corner asked the 32-year-old if he wanted to continue, to which he responded: "I don't want to."

Which is fine.

That's absolutely OK.

In any normal case, the corner would have instantly informed the referee of the fighter's decision and the bout would have been stopped.

But no, in the words of Australian boxing great Jeff Fenech who was sitting ringside, what ensued was nothing short of "disgraceful".

Taking a knee in front of his drained fighter, Horn's head trainer Glenn Rushton asked a couple of times: "What do you want to do?"

Silence.

Followed by more silence.

Again, this should have been another moment when the corner told the referee to wave-off the bout.

But no.

When Horn didn't answer, Rushton asked him: "Have you got a punch left in you or not? Do you want to give us a minute?"

Even one of the corner members was just as confused as the rest of us.

"That says it all," the worried cornerman said after Horn had ignored his trainer's questions.

But Rushton and the rest of the team continued to urge their man to rise to his feet and go out for one more round.

Tim Tszyu dominated the fight.
Fox Sports

Ringside commentator Fenech couldn't quite believe what he was hearing.

"Oh my God, of course he's stopping," Fenech said.

"To hear that corner argue about (stopping), when Jeff Horn couldn't even answer if he wanted to fight, to tell him to go back out is disgraceful."

Fenech's co-commentator Ben Damon was equally as shocked by the turn of events.

"Thank goodness sanity prevailed because we did not need to see a man who has achieved so much and done so much for Australian boxing take any more punishment," Damon said.

"He leaves the way he deserves."

Featured Image Credit: Fox Sports Australia

Topics: Tim Tszyu, Boxing, Australia