By Phil Newsham: Nobody likes to see a fight where two fighters are dancing around the ring looking more the part for Strictly Come Dancing rather than displaying their skills of the noble art. We all love to see them throwing plenty of punches, whether it be to the body or head.
However, sometimes fights can ‘appear’ to be more one sided than is deemed comfortable. Although we like to see a good old fashioned tear up, nobody likes to see a boxer taking too much punishment, because as we know, this can not only be dangerous, but also unfortunately, fatal.
Which is where the job of the referee comes in. When is it the right time for a referee to decide a fighter has taken too much?
The latest fight where this dilemma has reared up again is the British super-bantamweight title between Bury’s Scott Quigg and Scottish challenger Jamie Arthur.
Arthur was caught by a decent body shot in the eighth, after which he spun around before Quigg went in with another shot to the head. Although Arthur didn’t seem to be in any distress, referee Mark Green stepped in and called a halt to the fight. There was no real protest from Arthur, but there were questions asked by his trainer in the post fight interview. After all, when has a fight been stopped after a body punch without the referee giving the fighter a mandatory count?
The decision by the referee also split differences on the night between pundits Barry McGuigan, who agreed with the referee, and Glen McCrory, who was of the opinion the fight should have gone on.
It is always a tricky one for the referees. In the heat of the moment, with the adrenaline pumping, they have to decide whether the man taking some punishment has something left in the tank to possibly fight back and still have a say in the fight, as we have all seen this has the been the case on many occasion.
Because of the bravery of a majority of fighters, they would rather take the punishment and try and go the distance, rather than have a referee step in and put an end to it. Maybe it is up to the corner to throw in the towel if they think their man has had enough, or trust the man in the middle is capable of making hopefully a correct decision. It’s about getting the balance right between letting the fight be entertaining for the fans and a fair crack for both fighters, but most of all for their safety and giving them the chance to fight another day.
Comments are closed.