Quote Originally Posted by The Grinch
Also

While i rememeber to ask...

Is it fair to pressume that if a fighter dips below waist level that it is illigal to punch as the only viable place to strike is on the back of the head?

Should it not then be the case that any fighter should not be permitted to contort to such unearthly disfiguremnet


..... Phhh! Im never gonna get anywhere with this question, i just know it
You cannot hit below the belt, hold, trip, kick, headbutt, wrestle, bite, spit on, or push your opponent.
You cannot hit with your head, shoulder, forearm, or elbow.
You cannot hit with an open glove, the inside of the glove, the wrist, the backhand, or the side of the hand.
You cannot punch your opponent's back, or the back of his head or neck (rabbit punch), or on the kidneys (kidney punch).
You cannot throw a punch while holding on to the ropes to gain leverage.
You can't hold your opponent and hit him at the same time, or duck so low that your head is below your opponent's belt line.
When the referee breaks you from a clinch, you have to take a full step back; you cannot immediately hit your opponent--that's called "hitting on the break" and is illegal.
You cannot spit out your mouthpiece on purpose to get a rest.
If you score a knockdown of your opponent, you must go to the farthest neutral corner while the referee makes the count.
If you "floor" your opponent, you cannot hit him when he's on the canvas.
A floored boxer has up to ten seconds to get back up on his feet before losing the bout by knockout.
A boxer who is knocked down cannot be saved by the bell in any round, depending upon the local jurisdiction's rules.
A boxer who is hit with an accidental low blow has up to five minutes to recover. If s/he cannot continue after five minutes, s/he is considered knocked out.
If the foul results in an injury that causes the fight to end immediately, the boxer who committed the foul is disqualified.
If the foul causes an injury but the bout continues, the referee orders the judges to deduct two points from the boxer who caused the injury.
If an unintentional foul causes the bout to be stopped immediately, the bout is ruled a "no decision" if four rounds have not been fully completed. (If the bout was scheduled for four rounds, then three rounds must have been completed.) If four rounds have been completed, the judges' scorecards are tallied and the fighter who is ahead on points is awarded a technical decision. If the scores are even, it will be called a "technical draw."
If a boxer is knocked out of the ring, he gets a count of 20 to get back in and on his feet. He cannot be assisted.
In some jurisdictions the standing eight-count or the three knockdown rule also may be in effect.
In other jurisdictions, only the referee can stop the bout.


These are the fouls if Floyd was merely holding his arms up then it was not a foul, it he was to strike Hatton with them it would be a foul.
What Floyd was doing IMO was in the gray area, basically he was holding them up to prevent Hatton from smothering him. As for the Rabbit
Punch that didn't land, I can't blame Cortez for deducting someone from even attempting to to Rabbit Punch someone on the outside of the ropes
those punches can cause permanent injuries and should not be taken lightly.

Summary: I didn't see Floyd strike Hatton with then forearm or elbow, I will definately have to rewatch it, but as I interpret the rules, holding your arms up if someone walks into it, it's not a foul, although it is dirty.