Should AJ v Pulev been stopped in the 3rd round?

AJ really hurt Pulev with a straight right, and then brutally started to dismantle him in the 3rd round with combinations.

At one point, Pulev turned his back to Joshua and literally started running away into the corner, crouched down into a defensive like demeanour.

If a fighter is in such distress he has to turn his back and run into the corner, it should be called off, it was Pulev literally wanting to end the beating he was taking, or at least wanted a break, so much that the ref had to step in and started counting down.

It's one thing to get knocked down, because you can get back up and show desire to fight, but Pulev looked like he wanted to quit at that stage, if only for a moment.

Watch the 3rd round again on youtube to see what I'm talking about, reflect on it, and then reply.

 

Yes, he turned his back, which should of stopped the fight right there.

 

Yes, probably. I expected AJ to beat him inside 2 or 3 rounds. And technically it could have been stopped when a hurt Pulev turned and ran in the 3rd.

Rounds 4 to 8 were forgettable.
The eventually finish was good though.

 

Pulev’s behaviour throughout that fight was bizarre. It was like he was high on drugs.

 

Since when do fights get stopped when someone turns their back?

 

Froch Groves 1 although I think Froch still would of won.

 

So is it an actual rule or has it just happened in the past? I've never heard of this although I guess it doesn't come up too often

 

High on the late career payday, more like.

 

The count was adequate although a strong argument could be made for stoppage.
A garbage fight it was.

 

Yeah there were so many wtf moments from Pulev.

The random screaming in the press conference. When he started punching Joshua's fist as hard as he could. When he turned his back in the fight. When Joshua nailed him in the fight and he clinched him and started screaming at somebody in the crowd with a big smile on his face. After the fight when he started hitting Joshua's gloves and screaming (again). Then he tried to fight Joshua or something.

He came across as a proper weirdo.

 

I'd say yes...but I had twenty quid on Joshua in round 3 ..soooo I may be biased lol

 

Duran vs Leonard
Angulo vs Lara

 

I would prefer if that were a voluntary standing eight or something like it. I am very strongly on the standing eight train in general and I think a fighter's behavior when he kind of panics like that should be a standing eight automatically. But fighter's should be able to take a knee and lose a point too, in that kind of situation, imo.

 

Duran quit. Bad example anyways but I'm asking if this is an actual rule of boxing not for additional isolated examples

 

Would like to get people's updated thoughts on this.