Nunn Leaves Parker Dazed and Confused

How badly beaten was Curtis Parker in his North American Boxing Federation middleweight title fight Saturday night against champion Michael Nunn?

Don’t ask Parker.

The left uppercut that abruptly ended the scheduled 12-round match 58 seconds into the second round so badly scrambled the head of Parker, the Philadelphia fighter was still insisting minutes later the referee had held him down to prevent him from beating the count.

Referee Carlos Padilla did no such thing, of course. Only after he counted Parker out did Padilla place his hands on the 29-year fighter to prevent him from getting up too quickly.

This is the same Nunn who once was accused of having no punch, but don’t use that argument around Parker.

“I was very surprised,” Parker said. “I can’t understand what happened. I guess this night just wasn’t for me.”

Parker has fought Nunn’s next scheduled opponent, International Boxing Federation middleweight champion Frank Tate, so he is certainly qualified to give an opinion on this upcoming match to be held sometime this summer.

“Tate is more mature,” Parker said, “but I would have to give Nunn the edge. I was real impressed with the way he was moving and pivoting. Tate didn’t move like that.”

Parker lost a 15-round decision to Tate. He had declared before Saturday night’s bout at Caesars Palace that he would probably quit if he lost to Nunn.

But despite the devastating results, Parker was not so sure once his head cleared and he had a minute to think about it.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” he said, shaking his head while staring out into space, a deep cut evident over his swollen left eye. “But I’m not going to shut the door on fighting. I’ve got to leave it open a little crack. I might quit or, possibly, I might see if I can get my act together. I don’t know.

“This was certainly a night to forget.”

And with that he walked out of the press room, still trying to clear the cobwebs Nunn had planted in his head so he could remember just what it was he was trying to forget.