There is nothing wrong with taking a knee to regain your senses.

I agree 100%. Knowing what to do when getting buzzed is a great boxing skill and shows a lot of composure. Taking a knee is something you make fun of when you have never boxed so to you (the guy that never boxed) it seems like a ***** move, but it's actually smart. Better to take a knee than to get knocked out.

No one ever old me to grab the ropes before. That's a decent idea. Trainers always wanted me to go for a clinch. I know you said spit out your mouthpiece as a last resort, but I don't even want to consider that. If there ref sucks and doesn't see it or acknowledge it you are going to be in a loooot of pain once the next punch connects.

 

Yes.

In recent history the fight that comes to mind is Lee-Korobov. I think that if Korobov had used the techniques mentioned above (taking a knee followed by one of the other ideas if needed) he could have recovered and won the fight.

 

Absolutely, I think in this world of being 'macho' in a combat sport people almost look down on taking a knee as it's seen as a sign of weakness. But it can get you back into a fight; those few seconds are incredibly precious. Let's say Bradley-Vargas had another 10 seconds left...had Bradley taken a knee, he'd have 100 percent survived like he did anyway and won the fight. It's just tactically astute.

 

Absolutely agree. Getting buzzed - or maybe taking a debilitating bodyshot - is part of the game and strategically taking a knee can be the best way to gain a quick breather and can make the difference between a Win and a Loss. I find it hard to believe that anyone seriously contends that. Has someone claimed it's somehow wrong?

Egregious use of the other 'veteran' tactics you mention should rightly be penalised if the ref catches them - especially the deliberate low blow (which of course carries the risk of a DQ), but will absolutely remain part of the game in a sport where the stakes are so high from an individual perspective.

 

survival in itself is a skill, the ones who are best at it are ones that know they can be hurt and have been hurt before

its usually the guys that have never been down, buzzed or hurt that fail badly in this area eg Korobov. James Kirkland , even with he's fragile chin showed he has no survival skills when the light punching ishida ruined him

Ward has great survival skills, he has been hurt, down and rocked before and knows how to whether the storm.

the only issue i have with survival skills is when a boxer takes them too far eg Bernard Hopkins where he will feign injury to get a fight called off when he is losing and going to get hurt.

 

Taking a knee is somehow seen as cowardice, a sign that you can no longer take the heat and want to quit. Which is nonsense really. Like clinching it's a perfectly legitimate way to gain a few seconds and allow yourself back into the fight. It's only the childish culture of machismo that prevents more fighters from doing this, IMO, the idea that they'll be seen as less than warriors if they don't duke it out of the trenches instead of making a sound tactical decision to improve your chances of winning.

As for the other 'veteran' tactics, I have mixed opinions. Holding the ropes and turning your back can often be an instinctive reaction to getting hurt, but it can also be a sign that the fighter in question no longer wants to fight. It's up to the ref to judge. Certainly no fighter who gets caught in the back of the head while doing this has anyone to blame but himself. Likewise for any move that intentionally exposes the back of your head to your opponent.

Spitting out your mouthpiece is something of a b*tch move IMO, and a clear sign that you no longer want to fight, but I also somewhat respect fighters who have the nous to do this in the heat of battle to buy a few more seconds. It's a sneaky tactic and one that can backfire but it's also quite a clever one as well.

Low blows to buy time are an absolute no no, and should merit an instant points deduction if not outright disqualification, especially if they're as blatant as the ones thrown by Cotto and Mares. I instantly want any fighter who does this to suffer a vicious and prolonged beat down as a result.

Clinching is the most tricky one here as it's so open for abuse yet also the hardest to police. A topic for its own thread really.

 

Taylor vs Froch is a great example.

If Taylor takes a knee in the final minute rather than stand and get knocked out his life might have turned out very differently.

Carl would also be unlikely to have knocked out George Groves in front of 80,000 people at Wembley.

 

I was screaming at Crolla v Linares to clinch,as it happened he took too much in that round and never recovered.

 

Too few boxers grasp this.

 

what was the 2nd video of floyd taking a knee. what was that for? did he lose balance when ducking? can someone let me know their thoughts.

 

#6. Load the gloves.