Boxing: Battered McCullough discharged to uncertain future

Wayne McCullough left Glasgow's Southern General Hospital yesterday after spending a night under observation following his futile attempt to win the World Boxing Organisation featherweight title in a brutal bout at the Braehead Arena in the Scottish town on Saturday.

McCullough was a miserable and bruised loser after 12 one-sided rounds against the local idol Scott Harrison. Shortly after the fight's conclusion he complained of feeling tired, and was rushed rather dramatically to hospital. However, within the hour he was sitting up in bed drinking tea, eating bourbon biscuits and nursing nothing more serious than a severely bruised face and a case of exhaustion.

The fight had been unusually one-sided, and in round eight McCullough was clearly hurt. When the round ended the boxer's Las Vegas-based trainer, Kenny Croom, had the perfect opportunity to pull him out. But Croom missed the slot for compassion and has come under heavy criticism.

"I looked across at Wayne's trainer at the end of round eight and signalled he should stop it, but he never did,'' said Peter Harrison, the winning boxer's father and trainer.

In response, Croom simply offered boxing's age-old nugget of ill-informed wisdom that a fighter never likes to be withdrawn, saying: "Had I pulled Wayne out, he would have killed me.'' It is scarcely necessary to add that leaving him in could have killed him.

McCullough, 32, was expected to fly back to Belfast, where he was born and raised, before returning to his home of 10 years in Las Vegas and an uncertain future in the only business he has ever known. McCullough has fought 30 times in 10 years and before that competed in two Olympics, but may have little realistic chance of reaching his previous high level following Saturday's grim beating.

When Croom failed to act at the end of round eight there was growing discontent at ringside, but it appeared that Harrison eased off slightly, and that allowed McCullough to finish the 12 rounds on his feet but with his face a purple mess and his left ear a grotesque addition to his head. McCullough, who held a world title seven years ago, has never been off his feet or stopped as a professional, but that is a badge of courage that should not be encouraged in any young fighter.

The promoter, Frank Warren, said: "I wanted the fight to end after about round eight because Wayne was fighting a hopeless cause, but his advisers at ringside told me not to worry. But I do worry and when I found out he had been taken to hospital I felt sick.''

Provided McCullough makes a full recovery, in the coming weeks it is possible Harrison will get some credit for what was a brilliant and sustained performance of quality boxing. McCullough entered the ring as a dangerous and awkward challenger, but was reduced to looking like a sorry loser long before he was rushed to the blue light of the hospital's emergency room.