Should all refs be doctors?

just watching the dunne/cordoba fight for the WBA SB strap, great fight FOTY candidate. however the fight should've been stopped earlier right after the second KD of cordoba in the 11th.

This could be what led cordoba needing an oxygen mask, leaving the ring on a strecher having to go to hospital and it just seemed that the ref was waiting for him to be unconciouse before calling a halt to the contest as he clearly was in no fit state to continue after he was dropped for the second time in the penultimate round.

i've seen this in so many fights over the years, refs stopping it to late. Even if their good refs what gives them the license to judge if a fighter is a punch away from serious injury, in other sports a poor ref is just that however in this sport of ours a poor ref could be fatal, it only takes one.

here's the question, should all refs be medically qualified?

 

And you think a physician would be able to better judge if a fighter is one punch away from a serious injury? No one can predict that with great precission. There are way too many variables involved. The current refs are trained to recognize when a fighter is in trouble from his overt behavior and from the type of punches he's receiving. They don't have the benefit of a stethoscope or an x-ray in the ring. Sometime, overt behavior can be a misleading indicator of the fighter's actual condition and not even the best doctors in world would be able to interpret it correctly without special equipment. Boxing is inherently hazardous and these kinds of injuries will occur, doctor or no doctor. As it stands a doc can still examine a fighter and have the power to stop the fight between rounds. Thats enough.

 

No cause then there would be even more early stoppages lol.

 

A noble thought though and from a safety stand point I would say yes.

 

yeah really!! How many doctors would suit up to become a ref and have their asses sued because they didn't stop the fight in time. Ain't worth going to 10 years of medical school and training to become a freakin referee.

Medical doctors already take enough precautions when they see you. ie labwork, bedrest, etc.

 

so they have to nap before they see you? Is that why I always end up waiting for them?

 

there are already a couple of docs on the the circuit, i can't remember their names

 

Yeah and after every knockdown the ref/ doctor should call time and give the boxer a cat scan before he's allowed to continue.atsch

 

er, no.

 

Is Cordoba okay?

 

Yep he was giving the all clear http://www.setanta.com/uk/Articles/other-sports/2009/03/22/Boxing-Dobal-on-Cordoba/gnid-45424/

 

No.....there are already lots of medical staff running around fight night and they always consult with each other if a fight should be stopped. I won't like it if a ref who is medically inclined stops the fight early when other medical experts say it's ok to continue.
Refs just need a good catch phrase and good eyesight! Otherwise, they are lucky, overpaid bastids hehe.

 

then at least formers fighters who have empathy because sometimes the fighter has to be completely ruined before the refs steps in

 

i've lost count of the amount of times i've shouted "stop the fight ref"

 

No!

There's already a doctor assigned on every fight for consultations.

The ref did his job well . . . he gave Cordova all the chances he needed to win the fight. If that was stopped earllier a lot more could be whinning and crying by now.