VIDEO: AJ's Corner waving Towel at the end of the 12th?

34:33
As soon as they started waving the towel the bell rung.

 

I actually briefly thought the fight had been stopped when I was watching live.

 

wow

 

What’s the rule on this? Is waving the towel like that the same as throwing the towel into the ring?

 

That's the signal to stop the fight, 100%. If the ref sees that and stops it your corner can't very well say "oh we were just cheering him on with the towel, he loves it".

Very interesting. Did anyone confirm if the bell was actually rung early?

 

The official doesn't have to acknowledge it, though. Think Arthur Donovan in Louis-Schmeling II, Mickey Vann in Katsidis-Earl, Art Mercante Jr. in Cotto-Foreman. Or maybe more aptly, Steve Gray's recent example, since it involved a Matchroom fighter.

 

Certainly looks like they are fervently trying to stop it to me

 

The ref doesn't have to stop a fight if he sees a towel being waved or thrown into the ring; I've seen refs throw a towel back out of the ring. It's up to his discretion to stop a the fight. Yes, most times he will end the fight but he doesn't have to do so.

 

In Great Britain waving the towel means "help the house fighter".

 

In don't think it was being swung to wave off the fight but i do think they were on the verge of throwing the towel in.

Swinging it around and then they were gonna let it go if AJ was knocked out on his feet or just took too much.

 

The ref will usually stop the fight if the towel is waved or thrown in the ring. The times when it isn't stopped is when the ref hasn't seen who threw in the towel.

 

I think Usyk saw it too since he was going for the KO then started holding back like he expected the ref to jump in.