Hugging, holding, headlocks, pushing is destroying boxing.

[ElMeroChingon]

Bernard Hopkins utilized this style and he's regarded as a legend. Muhammad Ali used it and he's regarded as a legend. Vladimir Klitsckho utilizes it and is seen as one of the most dominant heavyweights of all time.

Floyd Mayweather and Amir Khan don't hold as much as those guys did so stop with your complaining. I don't mind spoiling as a tactic, I only mind it when it's done excessively. Andre Ward is a guy who spoils way too much for my taste but I recognize his skill.

If you don't like it no one is forcing you to watch. So no, its not killing boxing.

Wrong.

Look at

Mayweather vs Maidana II, and Collazo vs Khan.

[Public_Enemy]

I don't think boxing is being ruined but everyone is entitled to their opinion. I would just ask people to be consistent. Matthysse held Provodnikov over 40 times yet no one cries about that fight.

Personally, I thought Matthysse fought very well and did what he had to do but people are turning a blind eye to his holding in the fight. He actually held more than Mayweather did against Pacquiao.

[FrankieBruno]

when floyd does it, people say its skill doe

[#1Assassin]

I noticed no one mentioned Hatton or Slappy Calzaghe. I don't mind when a boxer does it to nullify an opponent's momentum or if out of position. I don't even mind if someone do it after getting hurt to buy time. However, people like Khan and Klitschko hold on for dear life because they don't want to get hit at all. And then there is Carlos Molina who would hug his opponent the entire fight if he could.

this is my stance as well.

spoiling at certain times has always been part of boxing and it always will. trading shots when you are hurt for instance doesnt mean you are tough, it means you are stupid.

what is different today is fighters are much more flawed than they used to be. as a result you have guys like khan and wlad who are tremendous at long range but have no inside fighting ability whatsoever and just hold on any time the other guy gets close.

if you only grab when you are hurt, against the ropes or have considerable momentum going against you it wont ruin the action. if you hold every time someone gets up close it will, too many stops and dead time.

to khans credit i feel hunter is working on making him a complete fighter and he is already better in that regard than he was a few years ago.

[b00g13man]

You are 100% right. Deduct points for every clinch and you'll have two things: 1) all fights would be exciting and fair. 2) mayweather career would have been totally different. Same to other similar fighters.

Where are all these fights where Floyd has clinched excessively?

[Reigning Champ]

The thing is though, Floyd has never been a clincher, it's only because his reflexes have declined the past years he's had to rely on spoiling tactics. Pre-Maidana 2 he hardly ever clinched.

[Luilun]

Hugging, holding, headlocks, pushing the head is destroying boxing. And the people behind the scenes making sure the likes of Khan and Mayweather win despite that way of fighting are the ones responsible for having messed up and messing up the sport.

If you are ok with hugging, holding and pushing, better watch MMA. At least there something spectacular might actually happen like a submission instead of seeing the referree breaking up the clinch. I almost stopped watching the Algieri-Khan fight in the first half when I saw how much Khan was hugging, holding and pushing down Algieri's head. At least with Mayweather you are waiting for something spectacular like the pull-counter or the quick lunging left hook or just his defense when he doesn't run or hug.

Let's see the viewership when more boxers do this ugly style of fighting and when it is not Mayweather doing it. There's a reason the "Mexican style" of fighting is appreciated by even the likes of Golovkin.

Floyd's Defense is over rated with all that hugging ,he should be penalized for it

[fastjabs2015]

Bernard Hopkins utilized this style and he's regarded as a legend. Muhammad Ali used it and he's regarded as a legend. Vladimir Klitsckho utilizes it and is seen as one of the most dominant heavyweights of all time.

Floyd Mayweather and Amir Khan don't hold as much as those guys did so stop with your complaining. I don't mind spoiling as a tactic, I only mind it when it's done excessively. Andre Ward is a guy who spoils way too much for my taste but I recognize his skill.

If you don't like it no one is forcing you to watch. So no, its not killing boxing.

+1. Fully agree.

[!! Shawn]

The difference is we use to have refs like Carlos Padilla who didn't break clinches, and instead just pulled fighters arms out so they couldn't hold. Much better, made for better fights, instead of relying on fighters that are doing the holding to willingly break on their own.

[Easy Work.]

These tactics have been in boxing for years, nothing new. So stop whining about it.