Issue 139

March 2016

Jacob 'Stitch' Duran, the fight game’s leading cutman, replies to your social media posts and requests to give advice for the corner. Stitch has his work cut out when he has to take care of several corners in one night.

Q. What are the different challenges of being a cutman for boxing and MMA?

A. I am often asked whether I enjoy working with boxing or MMA fighters most. I love working them both, but MMA gives me the most work. In boxing I usually work with one or two fighters. 

In MMA I will work the whole card and wrap five to eight fighters a night, and possibly as many cuts. Every time I’ve worked with Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko, they tell me I’ll be on holiday! Though they understand that I am there if a cut does occur.

Q. Does the color of an athlete’s skin matter when it comes to dealing with cuts and swelling?

A. Good question. I know some heavier bone structures don’t help. Working with fighters for the first time, I look for scar tissue. Guys with strong bone structures on the cheeks and orbital bones will make my job harder, especially in boxing where the majority of shots are targeted towards the face. Swelling can also become a problem. 

In MMA I am more concerned with elbows and knees. Looking back and remembering many of the cuts and swelling I have worked on, I must say that I probably have worked on more cuts and swelling on light-skinned fighters. So there may be something in this.

Anderson Silva is a good example regarding cuts and swelling. When he fought Chael Sonnen, he took a beating on his face and never showed any damage at all.

Got an injury question for Stitch? 

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