The God-Awful Clinch...

I alwasy thougth clinching was legal, but that a boxer would get penalized for excessive clinching. I just looked up the rules and it clearly states that hugging or wrestling is not permitted. I think clinching is what turns a lot of people off from boxing. Personally the sh*t pisses me off. It's just a sh*tty tactic. I feel like if you didn't come to fight you should do everyone a favor and keep your ass at home... Well said :cool:

I agree, clinching is a very deep science indeed. It throws off your opponents rhythm, allows you to clear you hear if you're stunned, and gives you a few seconds breather if you need it. Ali was a master clincher. Just don't over do it ala John Ruiz and Henry Akinwande in the Lewis fight.

for a good understanding of how a boxer should handle an opponent that clinches, see the Sanders vs WK match. they got close together, WK went for the clinch, as usual when boxers get too close together, then Sanders unleashed his powerful left and knocked WK's block right off. WK has not been the same since then. I think an experienced fighter can take advantage of an opponent over-clinching :) thats right experienced fighters can get around it

This is a bit of a grey area. The question is when a fighter's clinching starts to become excessive. I've seen several fighters disqualified for clinching repeatedly when making NO ATTEMPT (or very little) to fight the opponent (eg Tyson-Ferguson, Lewis-Akinwande). However, when a boxer is still making a fight out of it, it tends to be deemed legal, and in Ruiz's fights this tends to be why he isn't disqualified (see the damage Ruiz did to Oquendo in the clinch). But how referees deal with it is still very inconsistent - some allow it for a while before breaking it up, others break it up straight away (eg Jay Nady). The rules and how a ref interprets them need to be cleared up, especially with such a boring champion. As someone else said, I am of the opinion that when it is a major part of a fight plan is when it's going too far and the ref needs to step in and do something about it.

for a good understanding of how a boxer should handle an opponent that clinches, see the Sanders vs WK match. they got close together, WK went for the clinch, as usual when boxers get too close together, then Sanders unleashed his powerful left and knocked WK's block right off. WK has not been the same since then. I think an experienced fighter can take advantage of an opponent over-clinching :)

Excessive clinching is unbearable. I would get so fustrated in a fight if some guy is trying to hug me all day and stiffle my punches. Which brings in the other side of the equation. Clinching is a technique used by boxers to try and get on the inside of opponents. That's all some boxers have. If they can't get inside they can't win. So my opinion is that excessive clinching should not be tolerated, but at the same time you can't take away a boxers technical gameplan. A good example of this is when Lewis fought Tyson. I liked how the referee handled the situation by giving Lewis warnings and finally deducting points. That's how your supposed to do it, but unfortunately most referees hardly fit this mold.

i dont mind it as long as it has good reason. if a fighter is hurt then by all means hold on for dear life! but wrestlers like ruiz should stay in the WWE

the clinch is part of boxing!!!, it will always be there :o its just the nature of the game. And styles of the fighters seem to increase or decrease it. if both fighters ;like to come forward mostly they will clinch alot. Your not going to ko your opponent every time when your moving forward so your body will ofcourse crash into theirs. Clinching is just second nature when this happens. Yes for ruiz its very much part of his gameplan :p but for the most part i think most fighters do it for the reasons above or for a breather or they are hurt. Its funny I havemore tolerance for clinchers than guys who run all night. There are ways around clinching!!!!!!. I think Its time for Tua to put the quiet man asleep again. But do you think ruiz would fight tua again! not a :D chance

John Ruiz isn't the most interesting fighter, and the clinch generally does slow the fight down and make it boring. However, it's a very technical position, and only the very talented are able to dominate inside. Floyd Mayweather Jr. has a way of working the pocket so that it's not quite a clinch, and he always seems to stay outside the punches with the shoulder roll. The clinch is a very deep science.

ya I think if Ruiz fights and doesnt hug AT ALL and loses, i will respect him for not doin it, ppl dont care about a win, they care about excitement, but if he fights without that style and gets KO'd i will show him some respect but for now his just a Fu*kin huggin ass bitch who pisses tha fuck out me and every single person off I would be surprised if he actually had one fan.

When it turns into clear-cut HOLDING (which is probably another word for clinching), then the refs normally step in. Also, it seems most bothersome when one of the fighters is really honestly trying to mix it and get busy on the inside while the other is grabbing his arms and trying to cuddle. Warnings are normally given for that as well. The clinching that is inevitable and not as horrible, yet still not so fun, is when the HW boxers get into late rounds.. they exchange a handful of punches then make up for their fighting with tender embraces.

I alwasy thougth clinching was legal, but that a boxer would get penalized for excessive clinching. I just looked up the rules and it clearly states that hugging or wrestling is not permitted. I think clinching is what turns a lot of people off from boxing. Personally the sh*t pisses me off. It's just a sh*tty tactic. I feel like if you didn't come to fight you should do everyone a favor and keep your ass at home... Agreed. A fighter should really only clinch when he's hurt, and then it's just a survival tactic. A good ref is always on top of that. Steve Smoger is one guy who doesn't let guys clinch too much, but isn't finicky about letting guys fight on the inside.

I alwasy thougth clinching was legal, but that a boxer would get penalized for excessive clinching. I just looked up the rules and it clearly states that hugging or wrestling is not permitted. I think clinching is what turns a lot of people off from boxing. Personally the sh*t pisses me off. It's just a sh*tty tactic. I feel like if you didn't come to fight you should do everyone a favor and keep your ass at home... Fuckin John Ruiz. I will love the day someone KO's him before he can "man Hug" them to death.

The God-Awful Clinch... I am posting this to vent and to question in regards to the clinch. I was always under the assumption that clinching (i.e. holding) in boxing was technically illegal. Even though it is illegal, clinching to some degree is inevitable when two guys are attacking each other. But HOW DID IT EVER BECOME A CLEAR TACTICAL DECISION FREQUENTLY USED? In short, does anyone have any thoughts about how/why clinching has become so prevalent and tolerated in boxing today? I personally hate it. It ruins fights. I have often, in the heat of frustration, opined that the referee should have a 2 foot section of garden hose that he can whip viciously across the arms and shoulders of repeat (Ruiz-esque) offenders. Your thoughts?I alwasy thougth clinching was legal, but that a boxer would get penalized for excessive clinching. I just looked up the rules and it clearly states that hugging or wrestling is not permitted. I think clinching is what turns a lot of people off from boxing. Personally the sh*t pisses me off. It's just a sh*tty tactic. I feel like if you didn't come to fight you should do everyone a favor and keep your ass at home...