While this month marks 31 years since Brian "The Raging Bull” Mitchell won the WBA junior lightweight boxing title with a 10th-round stoppage of Panamanian Alfredo Layne at Sun City, it also brings sad memories about Michael Watson who suffered a near fatal injury in his rematch with Chris Eubank 19 years ago.

Loose and long-limbed, Layne arrived in the old Bophuthatswana, now North West, with a huge reputation after his unforeseen battering of Wilfredo Gomez to claim the WBA title four months earlier. But Mitchell was not perturbed when they clashed on September 27 1981...