Covert angered by quick TKO
Michael Manna believes the end result was inevitable.
Ryan Covert states otherwise.
Regardless, the sudden stoppage of the duo's boxing bout for the inaugural Steel City heavyweight championship bout Saturday night at Printscape Arena in Canonsburg left a sour taste in both of their mouths.
Covert, 41, of Butler was knocked down by a sudden right hand 1:14 into the second round. He dropped to a knee, bounced right back up and asked the referee not to stop the fight.
“I know how this game is,” Covert said. “I dominated the first round and the fight card was promoted by Integrity Boxing.
“Michael is one of their fighters. As soon as I jumped back up — I wasn't even down for a second — I said 'please don't stop this fight,” to the official.
“He didn't even look at me. No standing-8 count, no nothing. He turned his back to me and was waving the fight off before I had a chance to say anything,” Covert added.
Manna, 36, moved to 4-2 with 4 KOs in his pro career. The Pittsburgh-based fighter said he is retired now and will not defend the Steel City title.
“I work as an insurance agent, I've got kids ... I don't have sufficient time anymore to give to professional boxing,” Manna said.
“Ryan and I are the same type of fighter. We can be a danger to ourselves because we always want to keep going. But I see where he's coming from. I'd be upset, too, if I lost a fight that way.”
Covert fell to 2-3 as a pro with 2 KOs.
“Ryan never looked better than he did in that first round,” said Butler Cubs boxing trainer Don Spinetti, who was in Covert's corner. “He was in complete control and the second round started the same way.
“The guy caught him with a wild punch, but Ryan wasn't hurt. Not at all.”
Manna admitted that Covert won the first round.
“There's no doubt about that,” he said. “But this wasn't an amateur fight. I wasn't fighting for points. I was looking to set up a knockout.
“Ryan was bigger and had a longer reach than I thought. I had to get that distance down. I went after it in the second round.”
Manna said the referee told him that Covert's pupils “looked like a Sharpie point” and there was no sense in letting the fight go on.
“I know he (Covert) could have continued and wanted to continue,” Manna said. “But I would have knocked him down again. He was definitely wobbly.”
Covert stumbled back into the ropes after he returned to his feet.
“I was just getting my balance back,” he said. “I've had 61 fights (including amateur) and ended every one of them on my feet. I've been knocked down in other fights and came back to win.
“The (referee) never even looked at me. That's what gets me. I went through all the tests, jumped through their hoops, paid my money to get sanctioned and for this? Why bother? They're not responsible if I get hurt. Let the fight play out. That was ridiculous.”
Covert said he will continue to train and will fight again, most likely in West Virginia.
“I was a bar bouncer for 20 years, have worked executive protection, this is the kind of stuff I do,” Covert said. “Boxing is fun to me. I'll probably fight again, but it won't be in Pennsylvania. I'm done with that.”
