How should holding be handled by officials?

Floyd like intimate moment in the ring which make the down fight so boring.

 

Holding should be treating like taking a knee. Fighter is trying to stop/slow the offensive action.

 

Third warning a point deduction and a point deduction for the next warnings.

 

A clinch is one thing. When the larger opponent is allowed by the ref to repeatedly lay over his opponent resting his weight upon them round after round thereby exhausting them, that is among the worst kinds of cheating imo. Unpopular opinion here, but sacred cow Manny Steward taught LL and Wlad both to use this tactic. LL didn't need it as much as Wlad which is one of the reasons I hold him in far higher regard than Wlad as a professional boxer.

 

More than 3 times and you got -1 point

 

Consistently and decisively. Either call a break or don't, don't give a running commentary on where hands are and don't grab while time is in (unless it is a 4 round pro debut or something).

If a warning is given, then you have to follow through. Don't go from warning, to last warning, to last and final warning, to "I really mean it this time" warning and don't be afraid to take two points for intentional and egregious fouling.

In a title fight, I think it would be good to give very specific advice on how you interpret the rules in advance based on watching film of the fighters. So you can say "hey I would have taken a point for what you did in your last fight, that was excessive holding" and the seconds should also be raising their concerns in advance.

Yeah, often both sides share blame when a fight turns into a slow dance. That's a tricky situation, not much you can do as a ref there. Probably can't DQ them both for excessive holding.

 

While clinching is allowed, if not excessive, of course, fighters tend to often mix it with holding, especially when they are hurt (rush and grab your opponent to rest on him and make him unable to attack you). It is easy to fix it by deducting points more often. But there is a very bad understanding of the rules on all sides: fans, referees, judges, and fighters - not only for the holding, but the referees in particular rarely deduct points (the most recent example is Okolie who was that pathetic that got two points deducted, but the guy was absolutely for disqualification - again, a bad referee). I am fine to leave the fighters to have some inside game, but not letting them have this as a main one, plus they can do it, clinch, but not hold their arms and so.

 

Warned once then deduct point, no more warnings from then on in, point loss for a repetition, third point loss DQ.

This might upset some, but this is boxing not no gi grappling.

 

Ward takes the cake, let's laud the man and worship his inglorious style.

 

It's always made me sick, the way they crawl up Wards ass stateside, man they gotta be hard up. ****ing imposter.