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This question may boil down to the character of a boxer and whether or not they're seen as role models as well as representatives of the organization they hold a title with, and of course as ambassadors of the sport of boxing.
Imagine if Floyd was stripped of his titles for allegedly beating his wife. Or Pacquiao and Fury were stripped of their titles for their ****phobic comments. Or Kovalev was stripped of his title for his alleged racism.
In UFC there was a new precedent set last year. Jon Jones was stripped of his light heavyweight world title because of a hit-and-run incident where he accidentally hit a pregnant lady's car and broke her arm, after which he drove away without reporting the incident. He was stripped for violating UFC fighters Code of Conduct. Prior to this, all previous stripped titles were either due to PED use, signing with a rival organization, or training injuries which meant extended inactivity.
In boxing we see cases where even if a boxer tests positive for PEDs they're sometimes still allowed to keep the title, perhaps most famously in the highly corrupt, Washington-based, Khan vs Peterson fight where Peterson later admitted to using PEDs but was allowed to retain the belt by the IBF, although he was immediately stripped by the WBA, and rightfully so of course it goes without saying.
But should boxing follow suit and start stripping champions for indiscretions and incidents not only inside the sport but also outside of the ring because they violate a boxer's code of conduct which ultimately reflects badly on the title they hold and, more importantly, reflects badly on the sport of boxing as a whole?
Imagine if Floyd was stripped of his titles for allegedly beating his wife. Or Pacquiao and Fury were stripped of their titles for their ****phobic comments. Or Kovalev was stripped of his title for his alleged racism.
In UFC there was a new precedent set last year. Jon Jones was stripped of his light heavyweight world title because of a hit-and-run incident where he accidentally hit a pregnant lady's car and broke her arm, after which he drove away without reporting the incident. He was stripped for violating UFC fighters Code of Conduct. Prior to this, all previous stripped titles were either due to PED use, signing with a rival organization, or training injuries which meant extended inactivity.
In boxing we see cases where even if a boxer tests positive for PEDs they're sometimes still allowed to keep the title, perhaps most famously in the highly corrupt, Washington-based, Khan vs Peterson fight where Peterson later admitted to using PEDs but was allowed to retain the belt by the IBF, although he was immediately stripped by the WBA, and rightfully so of course it goes without saying.
But should boxing follow suit and start stripping champions for indiscretions and incidents not only inside the sport but also outside of the ring because they violate a boxer's code of conduct which ultimately reflects badly on the title they hold and, more importantly, reflects badly on the sport of boxing as a whole?
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