It's a sad case, and a strange one. I don't fault the ref, because Magomed was taking a lot of punches but rarely seemed hurt and was always coming forward and attacking and making it competitive. If the ref had stopped it, people would have said it was a bad stoppage.

People tend to forget about guys like Magomed, and retired boxers who are punch drunk, because it reminds them of the harsh realities of the sport. We all want to put on our rose coloured glasses and praise warriors who go punch for punch, hit and get hit, but we don't want to acknowledge the physical toll it takes on a fighter.