Pulev running away from Joshua

Not sure it's in the rules of boxing that the ref has to stop a boxer for turning his back, although you're correct, that's what normally happens. But the ref effectively docked him a point for the standing eight count despite the fact he didn't go down and wasn't kept up by the ropes. So through 20 seconds of refereeing incompetence, he got it just about right...

 

I share the same feeling with Dillian Whyte, the fight was strange.

Pulev was destroyed in round 3, so:

• Why couldn't Joshua finish him off in round 4? Was it because he was fatigued after his heavy effort in round 3, like it happened against Klitschko in round 5?
• Why couldn't Joshua knock out Pulev before round 9? Pulev was terrible, he was shot. Was there match fixing involved? Did someone bet huge for KO in round 9? Or is Joshua not as skilled as Wladimir Klitschko?

 

The ref can give a standing count without you touching the canvas if he deems you adequately hurt.

They are basically doing the job of you taking a knee for you

Many will try to fight whilst badly hurt and get flattened. Pulev should have took a knee.

Also luckily for him AJ missed all his finishing shots lol

AJ payed too much respect to Pulev in the following round, pulled a Whyte. Should have jumped on him.

Touch the head, go inside & hit the body? then back to the head? anything...would have worked. AJ of old is gone though. No confidence. Pulling faces when he is gassing out looking for a break.

Didn't close the distance adequately incase he got PTSD of being too close to a smaller man so was falling short and just outright missing.

 

Foreman caught Frazier in the back of the head and dropped him while he was running away in the 2nd round of their Jamaica fight. The referee only ruled a KD, he didn't seem to notice Joe running away or George using illegal punches.

 

I thought exactly the same thing when I was watching it. It's something I've always thought since I was a kid in the 70s. You don't turn your back on your opponent like that and walk away, let alone run away.

 

I think a stoppage is perfectly reasonable under those circumstances. Either that or AJ getting the chance to drill him in the back of the head, like Foreman did to Frazier under similar circumstances.

He bought himself maybe 20 seconds all in all when he was obviously unable to defend himself. That is absolutely crucial time. Quite likely the difference between finishing the round instead of being KO'd. Definitely not something fighters should get away with. Yes, the standing count cost him an extra point, but what is losing a point compared to being KO'd. You should never gain anything by cheating, and in that case he blatantly did.

Imagine if he'd been able to turn it around and win later on. Joshua would quite rightly feel robbed.

 

I would have stopped the fight there. Even if I shouldnt, I really didnt like this behavior.

 

True.
AJ does do that.

 

Pulev’s only success came in the mid rounds when it looked like Joshua was trying to get a breather from a high volume Round 3. Joshua’s volume dipped and he started to get pushed back. He caught his 2nd wind and then became the guy moving forward again. From there it was academic. I don’t think Joshua will beat Fury but he’s certainly got a better chance of doing so than Wilder.

 

Joshua blew his tank in the third and needed to recover. Wasn't a case of him paying too much respect.

 

Pulev won 1 round, maybe do a case for 2, but that is at best. And its not that this rounds were dominant, it was just that Joshua was not that active.