Tyson Fury’s trainer Ben Davison has joined fighters and pundits in defending Rob McCracken against criticism he put Anthony Joshua’s life at risk during his defeat by Andy Ruiz Jr.
Brain injury charity Headway says it is “shocking” that trainer McCracken told 5 Live Boxing he “knew Joshua was concussed” during his loss to Ruiz in June.
McCracken, 51, has said it was not the term he meant to use.
“I don’t think the people who have criticised Rob have any knowledge or experience of boxing,” Davison told BBC Sport.
“When a fighter goes down I would imagine that has some form of concussive effect every time.
“If Rob is to get pulled up and blamed or criticised then I need criticising too because Tyson got knocked down against Deontay Wilder in round nine and 12 and I allowed it to carry on. So if he is getting criticised I need it as well.”
Former world heavyweight champion Joseph Parker told BBC Sport: “Joshua was still communicating so I don’t think it was a bad decision Rob made. I think the wording is what people don’t like.
“When I fought Dillian Whyte I can relate to this. I got head-butted in the back of the head and I was like ‘what round is this? What happened to me?’ I didn’t want the fight stopped. My coach knew it wasn’t time.”
The British Boxing Board of Control has backed McCracken.
Joshua was floored twice in round three and twice in round seven against Ruiz, who picked up the IBF, WBO and WBA world heavyweight titles at Madison Square Garden.
During the fight, Joshua asked McCracken between rounds what round was next, and before the seventh, asked: “Why am I feeling like this?”
Headway says McCracken’s assertion that his charge fought on concussed showed the trainer’s “sole priority was on winning the fight” rather than protecting Joshua from “a potentially fatal injury”.
The organisation also said concussion protocols in boxing “are not worth the paper they are written on”.
BBC Radio 5 Live boxing analyst Steve Bunce said: “That is an outrageous comment for any organisation to make about boxing, especially in Britain, where the British Boxing Board of Control are the leading body when it comes to boxer care.
“They are constantly reviewing fighters. In my view, that is an unnecessary remark. I am slightly outraged by that as it is far too strong.
“What happened here, McCracken simply chose the wrong word. He could have said Joshua was dazed, stunned, or the word we so often use in boxing, gone. They all fall way short of concussion, a serious word. I truly believe he used the wrong word.”
