Quote Originally Posted by miles
There was way too much clinching in the fight. Fans pay good money to watch a fight and its up to the referee to ensure that a good fight is delivered. Both fighters were guilty and I think more points should be docked for hugging in big fights. Boxing is 12 3 minute rounds its not as arduous as in previous years. There is no excuse for excessive hugging and it shouldnt be tolerated as a strategy for trying to win.
U make some good points. But IMO the key word in ur post was "referee". It's his job to control the action. If a fighter can get away with something that they beleive will help them win then they will do it. I don't blame them one bit. And the fans do deserve some action. But all fights are not going to be toe 2 toe barnburners. There are no guarantees in this game & fans should watch the fights for their love/dedication/support of the sport.

I'm not an ambassador for any kind of clinching but there are different types of clinching. There's the clinch & hold on for ur life. And different variations of the clinch & work. Personally it's hard for me to stomach clinch & hold on & I definitely think that penalties should be executed in these cases. But the clinch & work is a part of the game & an art in it's own right.

I'd rather see the ref give the guys some time to work out of the clinch than to jump in & involve himself as soon as it happens. Just my opinion.