Boxing: Knockout may have saved Ingle's life
Saturday, 23 December 2000 10:07Spencer Oliver has backed the claims of Paul Ingle's trainer, that sending him out for the final round of his bout with Mbulelo Botile last Saturday might have saved his life. Oliver underwent a similar life-saving operation on his brain as Ingle after his bout with Sergei Devakov in London in 1998. He agrees with Steve Pollard's suggestion that by being knocked out in the final round Ingle received immediate treatment and was on the operating table in hospital well within the critical 'golden hour' period in which neurosurgeons believe they need to operate.
Had Ingle been retired on his stool at the end of the 11th round, he may have been able to get up and go back to his hotel - with the damage already done. Oliver, the former European super-bantamweight champion and now a successful commentator and trainer, said, "If Steve had pulled him out it might have been worse. Maybe it was fate the way it did happen. Personally I would have pulled him out, but that may be because I've been through it. It's a very difficult situation. The kid's a world champion, but he had lost 10 of 11 rounds and no way was he going to go out and win. I have prayed for Paul every day since Saturday and if anybody is going to pull through then Paul will - he's a fighter. Ingle remains serious, but stable in a Sheffield hospital as doctors prepare to gradually wean him out of his drug-induced coma.
Filed by Pat Nugent
