Don’t die for ‘warrior code’

QUITTING IS NO CRIME

BOXING needs to get rid of its biggest taboo: the word ‘quit’.

There should be no shame in walking away from a fight because you have simply had enough.

Boxing is a macho sport full of warriors who are willing to put their lives on the line for money, pride, titles and recognition.

They are what makes the sweet science different from any other sport, but on any given night a fighter may just be out of their depth and need a way out for their own protection.

Mind you, if you have delivered some pre-fight vitriol towards the foe who forced you to say ‘no more’, then you should expect a few jibes.

Signal

Josh Taylor’s stunning win over Ohara Davies last weekend has sparked the debate again about whether fighters should go out on their shields no matter what.

The Scot pounced after Davies beat the count in the seventh round of a cracking clash.

And the man who had promised to expose the Edinburgh fighter simply turned his back to signal that he had suffered enough.

Davies has to take the ridicule after his pre-fight boasts. But it seems to have become acceptable to doubt his heart when to admit you are beaten should be treated no differently from being knocked out by a blow to the chin.

Of course, if any fighter repeatedly quits, then the sport is not for them, just like any boxer who continually loses, whether it be by KO or decision. Either way, they are just not good enough.

The referee is the first man who should spot a fighter in danger and if he holds back, then it is the job of the corner to alert the official their man has had it. But if those two safety nets fail, then a fighter should have his own route of escape.

This week Chris Eubank Snr suggested on BBC Radio 5 live that no man should quit in the ring. He took some severe beatings that made him close to wetting himself because the pain was so severe.

He calls it the “warrior’s code” but this is a sport that must protect its participants and not encourage fighters to endanger their lives by taking unnecessary punishment.

Even the great Roberto Duran once walked away in his famous ‘No Mas’ fight against Sugar Ray Leonard in 1980.

Those who tough it out deserve credit, but quit should not be boxing’s dirty word.