‘Razor’ Ruddock to appeal knockout defeat

Razor Ruddock

AS fans may be aware, Canadian veteran Donovan “Razor” Ruddock, in the early going of a comeback that had followed a 14-year absence, suffered a quite nasty knockout loss on Friday, September 11. Crushed in the third-round by defending Canadian heavyweight champion Dillon Carman, the 51-year-old – who had won two fights on the trot in a comeback that began in March of this year – was laid out flat on his back. The comeback seemed to have reachedย  a shuddering conclusion.

However, Team-Ruddock has cried foul, stating how Carman landed two blows to the back of the head that set up the vicious KO. Carman put Ruddock down with two rights hands before the final, devastating ending came, and Ruddock and his wife and manager Triticha-Ann say the two rights were both illegal and intentionally thrown to the back of the head by Carman.

The Ruddocks plan a press conference for the coming days and they are also set to appeal to the Ontario Athletic Commission. Below is the written statement from Team-Ruddock:

“Canadian boxer Razor Ruddock was counted out of action in the third round at the Canadian Heavyweight Championship Title Fight held on Friday September 11, 2015.

“The lead-up to the knock-out was a result of Razor being hit by two consecutive โ€œillegalโ€ punches thrown by Dillon Carman that were not recognized by the referee.ย Rules of boxing state that it is illegal for a boxer to hit an opponent in the back of the head and/or below the belt.

“The rules of boxing are also very clear when it comes to penalties.ย  When illegal punches are thrown and make contact, it is the duty and obligation of the referee to identify this.

“The referee is mandated to stop the action, send each of the boxers to neutral corners and assess the condition of the fighter receiving the illegal blows. Under the rules, up to five minutes are permitted for the referee to give the sufferer of the illegal blows to recover. If, in the refereeโ€™s judgment, the fighter is unable to continue, the rules dictate what the result of the fight is, based on the number of full rounds completed at that time.

“In this case by many ring-side observers, Razor had won the first round and Dillon had won the second round.ย  Since two consecutive fouls were committed by Carman in the third, it is conceivable that the referee should have even deducted a point away for a malicious and intentional significant foul that clearly was not accidental.ย  It is also clear that the illegal blows landed by Carman set up the reason for the knock-out to follow.

“At their news conference, the Ruddocks will publicly announce that they will be officially lodging a complaint about the decision from the fight to the Boxing Commission and copied to Premier Kathleen Wynn herself.

“A loss is a loss, a win is a win but a sanctioned immediate rematch is what the Ruddocks do not want to consider.ย  Instead, to officially file with the Commission and request sanctioning and/or disciplinary action against the referee and the fighter in question. The Ruddocks are planning to file their submission for September 30, 2015.

“Whether Razor would fight again or not, he does not want this foul to lay with him in his legacy and not be brought out and revealed that this last loss was a result of an opponent clearly breaking the rules.ย  A rematch to this very opponent would be out of the question for Razor to consider based on Carmanโ€™s unsportsmanlike and unprofessional approach and seemingly applied track-record to the sport of boxing.”

So, Ruddock does not want a rematch with Carman and it remains to be seen if the beaten fighter has any case and if any action will be taken against Carman. Ruddock, though, could fight again, so the statement hints. It’s unclear how much support “Razor” would get from the fans should he indeed continue with his ring return.

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