Robert Brizel Editorial: Thomas Dulorme Appeal Highlights Danger of Rabbit Punches
Editorial By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Welterweight contender Thomas Dulorme’s appeal for a reversal to the Nevada State Athletic Commission regarding his first-round knockout loss to Jaron “Boots” Ennis is unlikely to result in the “No-Contest” outcome he is seeking, regarding their October 30, 2021 bout at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las, Vegas, Nevada. However, Dulorme’s appeal is a good argument for highlighting the dangers of rabbit punches, whether intentional or unintentional.
Dulorme, 25-6-1 with 16 knockouts, Carolina, Puerto Rico by way of Guadalupe, argues the punch thrown to the back of the head thrown by Jaron Ennis at precisely the one minute mark of their bout which he ducked his head low was a foul, and referee Mike Ortega should have allowed him a recovery period before allowing the bout to continue.
In point of fact, the aerial view video replay clearly shows Ennis did throw a downward punch to the back of Dulorme’s head, but the punch appeared to be unintentional with Dulorme ducking low. It should be ruled an accidental punch by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. From this reporter’s view, the downing of Dulorme perhaps should not have been counted as a knockdown, and Dulorme should have been given recovery time for going down after the punch. Ennis, 28-0 with 26 knockouts, whose has stated “They book ’em, I cook him!”, is a real riser in the division. Protected fighters seem immune to certain punishments. How the NSAC rules now depends on how the punch is viewed. There are a number of different angles to interpret, but it does seem Dulorme went into a low stance when he got hit. Upon arising, a dazed Dulorme subsequently got knocked out.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission is going to have to take a hard look at this one. The low stance of Dulorme may have simply been a moving defensive maneuver. There is no evidence against Ennis in the sense his blow was not intentional, it simply landed where it did as a consequence of Dulorme’s sudden low stance. Instead of avoiding the punch, Dulorme got hit instead. the back of Dulorme’s head clearly shows a subdural hematoma. The brain has multiple sides, and damage to the back of the head is exceedingly more dangerous than damage to the front, in the sense most boxers do have their gloved hands guard up at the back of the head. A boxer can only gesture to the referee when a rabbit punch has been thrown as they perceive it to be. The referee has to do his job regardless of how a fighter feels after a perceived low blow, rabbit punch, kidney punch or other possible foul.
Any early gestures to the referee did not help Gerald McClellan against Nigel Benn, as Benn threw countless rabbit punches even after the bell, yet French referee Alfred Asaro did not penalize Benn despite McClellan’s gestures, and the British Boxing Board of Control never acted against Benn after their February 25, 1995 World Boxing Council Super Middleweight title bout. Benn retained his title by tenth round knockout at 1:46 of the tenth round, with McClellan taking a knee with his head twitching back and forth from his brain injury, caused by an accumulation of rabbit punch blows.
Junior middleweight boxer Prichard Colon was left in a coma, yet the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation determined there was no wrongdoing on the part of organizers of the Oct. 17, 2015 event at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia, a disgusting outcome in the view of this reporter since opponent Terrel Williams threw the rabbit punches, not the promoters responsible for the event. Premier Boxing Champions was not talking then, and is not talking now. In multiple irony, Colon was disqualified at the end of round nine when his corner removed his gloves at the end of the round, thinking it was round 10 and the bout was over, saving his life as he slipped into a coma. Referee Joe Cooper only refereed two more bouts in 2016, then never appeared again. Colon remains paralyzed today. Williams, who fought four times more, ended his career at 18-1 when Thomas Dulorme outpointed him in a 10 rounder at Rabobank Theater in Bakersfield, California, on September 21, 2019.
Connecticut referee Michael Benitez-Ortega, who refereed Ennis versus Dulorme, is a veteran of 25 years as a man in the middle, and recently refereed the 10 round decision win by Cuban heavyweight Frank Sanchez over EfeAjagba at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on October 9, 2021. Ortega is an experienced referee. Any Showtime television event is a major showcase for the fighters featured. Mistakes happen. Ennis versus Dulorme was a bout featuring a questionable punch by the angle. The referee is limited to what he sees in the heat of the moment.
Depending on the medical outcome, it is possible Thomas Dulorme might not be allowed to fight again. Injuries of this type, if the brain incurs a subdural hematoma, represent cause for medical retirement in professional boxing where the risk is too great. The issues are complex, and the medical report which supports the post-fight photograph will tell the story. The facts are not yet clear, but it is hoped the NSAC will do a more thorough and efficient job now in evaluating the circumstances of Ennis versus Dulorme than GeraldMcClellan and Prichard Colon received during and after their bouts.
Colon and McClellan live on with no quality of life. Boxing safety protocols need always to be in place, and boxing outcomes need to be reevaluated to prevent further tragedies.
Jaron Ennis is one of the most talented boxers in boxing today. It need needs to be understood punches like the one Ennis threw against Dulorme, which caused the appeal, are not rabbit punches, but are more caused when one fighter ducks down leaving the back of the head exposed to punches already in progress thrown by the opponent, whether accidental or intentional.
Dulorme, in the least after the punch in question, felt he deserved a five minutes rest period and recovery. Scoring this bout as a “No Contest is Not the issue. The issues are the need for extreme safety inside the ring, and the referee recognizing damage done by a potential rabbit punch, which could save lives.
The photograph of the rear of Dulorme’s head tells the story. The bout should have been stopped immediately upon seeing such a visible obvious injury. The medical claim by Dulorme must be supported by evidence. It should be stated the facts are not yet clear in this appeal, and Jaron Ennis is presumed innocent. The injury might not have been immediately clear, in which case the Ennis knockout of Dulorme on the second knockdown was legitimate as Ennis did not see anything wrong with Dulorme in the brief one round which they fought.
ch they fought.
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