How Can Boxing Prevent Fighters From Running?

Roy Jones Jr. says there needs to be rules to prevent fighters from refusing to engage and run as we look at how this could be addressed. 

Jones’ comments arrive in the aftermath of the May 2 Times Square card. The Devin Haney vs. Jose Ramirez fight had the fifth-lowest punch output, as per CompuBox. The Ryan Garcia vs. Rolando Romero was the fourth lowest. To top it off, Canelo Alvarez vs. William Scull became the fight with the least amount of punches landed. That resulted in a significant amount of backlash, given the Saudis had spent a large amount to attract the best talent. 

Options

This problem could be addressed by having a smaller ring size. That would allow fighters who want to press the action to back up their opponents. However, there must be a fine balance in allowing fighters to box and move compared to those who are not interested in engaging. 

Fighters could also be awarded for aggression and ring generalship. If judges place more emphasis on the boxer who is pressing the action, cutting off the ring, and attempting to land scoring blows, it will encourage fighters to do more. Fighters could also be penalized more for excessive holding and clinching. The referees should be more proactive in separating fighters and give point deductions sooner.

Elsewhere, there is the idea of a standing eight count which takes place in amateur boxing. This allows a referee to assess a fighter’s ability to continue if they are momentarily stunned but not knocked down. If a fighter is not engaging, it could force the referee to act. 

Another alternative is to include penalties for disrupting the action. Any form of excess holding, pushing, or rabbit punches should result in points deducted. That would put the onus on fighters to take more risks. While smaller rings have been suggested, that will penalize those who have excellent footwork.

Jones Reacts

A more controversial stance could be to introduce mandatory punch counts. Having a minimum number of punches per round prevents fighters from not committing. However, it has the danger of boxers simply throwing soft punches to meet the criteria rather than committing. It will also inadvertently impact the game plan when defense may be the best option. Regardless of the choices, Jones felt something had to happen. 

“I think what you got to get is guys that want to be the best, and they’re willing to prove they’re the best. If they’re the best, you can’t run from a guy for 12 rounds and say, ‘I’m the best.’ No. You might be able to outsmart them and make an ugly fight for him if he’s a super strong puncher. But we should see that coming a mile away. 

“These guys start moving around, and they don’t want to engage. That’s not good for boxing. That’s the problem. They don’t know when to do it and when not to do it. Yeah. You can’t go 12 rounds and not engage. There should be a rule for that, yeah,” Jones stated