A boxing referee’s job is highly difficult. A mere split second can mean the difference between a fighter going home to his family, or to the morgue. The latest example of that delicate balance came last Saturday (October 9), when former contender Mike Arnaoutis faced prospect Danny Garcia.
Arnaoutis was floored by a short left hook at the end of round three. He used his gloves to balance himself from completely falling over, and looked to be ok. However, as Arnaoutis walked back to his corner, he suddenly collapsed flat on his back, prompting referee Robert Grasso to continue the count. But Arnaoutis once again made it back to his feet to survive the round.
Early in the fourth, Arnaoutis appeared to regain some composure. He caught Gracia with a hard left hook which momentarily paused the young prospect’s aggression. But the end was inevitable. Garcia started the final sequence by hurting Arnaoutis with a looping right hook, and then dropping him again with a left hook. Arnaoutis fell to his knees, and took out his mouthpiece in submission.This prompted his corner to rush in and stop the count.
So, did Robert Grasso handle this bout appropriately? One school of thought has it that fights should be called off if a fighter makes it to his feet but collapses again. The two famous cases of this are Mike Tyson vs. Trevor Berbick in 1986, and Kostya Tszyu vs. Zab Judah in 2001. On the former, Berbick was clearly done and fell back down multiple times. But in the latter case, there’s enough room for interpretation that Judah could have continued competently if given another chance to get up.
It’s your call at the end of the third round. Did you wave it off, or give Arnaoutis another round?
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 