Xiong deserved better fate

Xiong Chaozhong's reign as China's first world boxing champion came to an abrupt end on Wednesday night, even though it looked like he should have been given an opportunity to continue fighting.

Perplexing might be the best adjective for referee Bruce McTavish's stoppage of Xiong's title defense in the dying seconds of Round 5 at Haikou City Hall in Hainan province, which handed the WBC strawweight championship to Mexican challenger Oswaldo Novoa.

That's not to say McTavish was wrong. The veteran referee obviously had a much closer view of Xiong's plight than the millions watching on CCTV and there can be no doubt the fighter's safety was his primary motivation, but it definitely looked like he pulled the trigger a little too quickly.