Boxer Brad Ginn suffers unusual loss at Las Vegas Masters Championships
2. Masters division boxer Brad Ginn, second from left, is helped away from the ring where he suffered a catastrophic knee injury ending his bout in his fight held in Las Vegas. Those assisting the 51-year old are left to right, Snoop, Ginn’s trainer, Michael Dubas, CEO Beacon Management Services, and Nashville-based boxer Tony Hill. Photo- Cherie Ginn
LAS VEGAS, NEV.- In an unexpected and unusual turn of events, Brad Ginn suffered his first loss in the Masters Division (age 45-plus) of USA Boxing. Battling for the title bout in the super heavyweight division in the “Champion of Champions” event in Las Vegas, and according to the scorecards of the five judges, Ginn was on his way to victory, but an unfortunate incident where he injured his left knee with 15 seconds remaining in the third and final round caused his bout to be stopped via medical injury.
“When my knee gave out I hit the deck for the first time in my masters boxing,” said Ginn, who was undefeated at 20-0 heading into the bout. “I felt something in my knee in both the first and second rounds of the scheduled three-round fight. Unfortunately, the 51-year old knee gave up.”
The bout was one of many in the Las Vegas Masters Championships, which featured close to 300 boxers, men and women, taking to the ring inside the Veil Pavilion of the Silverton Casino. Ginn, who is scheduled to be inducted into the Masters Boxing Hall of Fame in May, was up against Thomas Stewart, 46, of Pennsylvania and who weighed in at 246 pounds compared to Ginn’s weight of 215. The 30-pound weight differential did cause a contrast for Ginn as his opponent was more of a brawler-type boxer and who constantly was warned of possible infractions of his style of fighting. “He even got me in a headlock and was hitting me,” said Ginn.
In the first round, which Ginn won on the scorecard and who had the better punches landed, he looked to be in control, but the normal two-minute rounds were reduced to 90-seconds due to the schedule of bouts running behind schedule. With Ginn, a polished boxer who outscores his opponents due to precision punches and many times wearing down his opponent physically, the shortened time was not in his favor.
In round two at about the one-minute mark, Ginn was given a standing eight-count by the referee due to a couple good punches landed by Stewart. Ginn was shocked the referee did so as “he landed much harder punches early in the bout and I did not receive an eight-count,” added Ginn, a tower of strength standing 6-foot-3. Due to those circumstances, the scoring judges gave the round to Stewart pitting the “boxer vs. brawler” into the third and final round even on the scorecards.
With his wife, Cherie, at ringside cheering him on, Ginn got the better of Thomas up until his knee gave way and sent him to the mat. He rose, but could hardly put weight on his left leg to standup, and with having no other recourse then to call the match to an end, the referee signaled the stoppage at 1:15 of round three, a mere 15 seconds before the former Huntsville High student was expected to keep his record intact and earn his title bout belt in the process.
“Who knows what’s next,” said Ginn, as he looks into medical assistance to determine the extent of the knee injury and what his future will look like in the sport he has adopted since a young man.
Ginn suffered what Dr. Troy Layton, his orthopedic surgeon, called a full ACL and MCL tears and will undergo reconstructive surgery this month.
