Recently I read a post on another forum where someone was appalled that Kevin Johnson was getting his crack at Vitaly Klitschko after Chris Arreola's embarrassing loss. First of all I have say that these guys are fighters -professional fighters. They understand the risks like every other athlete. Guys get killed in Nascar Racing and Football too. But this sport doesn't offer the protection of a steel cage or padding and helmet.

In fact the warriors of this sport go at each other half naked.

When I hear of controversial stoppages like Chavez/Taylor I'm inclined to go with the Ref's decision. I know there were just seconds left in the fight and that Taylor most likely would have won but a referee has a split decision to make.

Chavez/Taylor was one of the more brutal beatings I have ever seen. When Pedro Alcazar died I remember Big George Foreman saying before the stoppage that he didn’t look quite right. But he was released from the hospital only to die in his hotel later.

Fighters like Floyd Mayweather get criticized for being entirely too defensive. I'm clearly not a Floyd fan and just about everyone knows it. I don’t blame him for fighting smart though.

I don’t like him because he fights smart against guys who most boxing fans don’t perceive as a real threat. I would like to see him fight Mosley. That’s a big fight he could take without sustaining any brain damage.

Cotto has been fighting the top guys for years and winning fans along the way. He may have done too much too soon. Only time will tell.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that there is no real way to predict the outcome of a professional prize fight. We can pick possible winners and gamble on which round a fighter may get KO'd but we have no way of knowing going in that fighter is going to be killed in action.

I'm all for safety. I dont want to see these guys in there with helmets on though. I think ultimately we have to trust in the referee's judgment.

So the next time you see a referee stop a fight, don’t get all lathered up about it. He's doing what he thinks is best for the fighter. The fighter gets to fight another day and his loved ones get to share another Christmas dinner with him.

Go easy on the ref's guys. The commissions and the promoters are only concerned about the money these attractions bring, The refs are there to protect the fighters.

We as boxing fans should give them an encore when they make a tough choice to stop a fight rather than being overly critical. It’s a tough call to make. But it’s a call that lets a man sleep easy at night.

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