Some folks think that our beloved sport is still in the dark ages. Boxing, they say, is brutal and uncivilized. It is corrupt, and frankly, they say, two men beating up each other for our entertainment is behind the times in regards to the evolution of mankind.
Those who don?t ?get? boxing probably never will. But our fraternity does resist change, we should admit. One change that should be made is the reinstatement of the standing eight-count.
The standing eight was toyed with several years ago and then disregarded as unwarranted. The argument against it was that a standing eight-count is unfair to the fighter who may be on the verge of a knockout victory. That argument is understandable. The counter-argument is that a standing eight-count could help put an end to some premature stoppages. Not everyone on the ropes taking shots is actually hurt.
Anyone who witnessed the ShoBox fight of last Friday night (Oct 19), I hope, would agree with me when I say bring back the standing eight.
In a heavyweight contest, T.J. Wilson (12-1, 8 KO) of Atlanta, stopped previously undefeated Travis Walker (25-1-1, 19 KO) of Houston, in round one.
Was it a dramatic one-punch knockout? Nope. Read on.
Wilson lit into Walker at the opening bell, charging like a bull. Walker retreated to a corner and absorbed a couple of good shots. And then referee Raul Caiz stepped in and stopped the contest? in all of fifteen seconds.
Perhaps Caiz was just too jet-lagged to make a good decision. After all, he had just flown back and forth to Moscow, Russia to be the third man in the ring for Evander Holyfield?s failed attempt at winning a portion of the heavyweight title from the Sultan of Swing.
Perhaps after fifteen seconds of work, Caiz was ready to call it a day.
Of course, I jest.
?He dropped his hands. His shoulders dropped and he did not try to defend himself,?? said Caiz. ?I hated to do it. No one wants to see a fight end like that, especially so early on. But it is my job to protect the fighter.??
Walker had taken a couple of hard shots. His hands did lower for a split second. The problem was, without a standing eight-count in his pocket. Caiz had to make a split second decision, and he decided to stop the fight.
The losing fighter- undefeated until Caiz ?saved? him from further ?punishment?- protested immediately. And his quick and lucid protests proved to me, at least, that he was totally in control of his faculties. Caiz may not ever admit it, but I?d bet he wishes he could have this one back.
?You don?t stop a fight, a championship fight, like that,? a protesting Walker said. ?He caught me with a couple shots, but I was never hurt? This is unbelievable.?
It is not the referee?s fault. The golden rule of boxing is not ?do unto others as you would have them do unto you.? The golden rule of prizefighting is ?protect yourselves at all times.? Caiz argued that Walker stopped protecting himself in the moment and he had no choice but to wave it off for the fighter?s protection.
He had no choice because he had no standing eight-count to use.
I realize that most in our industry are probably against this rule change. I?ve heard all of the arguments against it, and I am not moved.
Here is my proposal. The referee, at his discretion, can administer one standing eight- count per fighter per fight. If boxer ?A? seems hurt but doesn?t go down, the ref can check him out. If the fight continues and boxer ?A? finds himself in the same situation- seemingly hurt again but doesn?t go down, then stop the fight.
But give boxer ?A? the chance. If he?s really in trouble, I?m sure boxer ?B? can get him out of there.
?If the referee doesn?t stop it, Walker is going down and getting knocked out anyway,? said the suddenly victorious T.J. Wilson.
If this is true, then why not a standing-eight to make sure?
Regarding the scorecards of the judges, a standing eight count can be the equivalent of a knockdown.
If Caiz had this option, he would have stepped in for the count. It would have given him the chance to see if the fighter was actually hurt or not. Had he had this option, I don?t think he would have stopped this particular fight at the time that he did.
The integrity of the game dwindles every time there is a premature stoppage.
Referees are in the ring to enforce the rules and protect the fighters. I believe that a limited standing eight-count rule would not only protect fighters, but would also protect the integrity of the game.
