STOP THE FIGHT, REF!
"STOP THE DAMN FIGHT, REF! HE'S HAD ENOUGH!"
If you've never seen this actually take place, consider yourself lucky - but not as lucky as the fighter himself. A towel flying into the ring from a fighter's corner mean's that they "surrender", that they want the fight to be stopped.
The scene has been repeated upteen times in boxing movies and, unfortunately, at actual bouts. "Unfortunate" because you hate to see a fighter, regardless of degree of skill, hurt so badly that the fight needs to be stopped to prevent the pugilist from suffering more harm.
And unfortuante because "throwing in the towel" is as much an idiom in boxing as it is in mainstream literature or in life itself.
It has meaning but no power!
A FIGHTER'S CORNER CANNOT STOP A FIGHT
It's that simple. And it's that misunderstood, even by veteran boxing people. If you've been around boxing long enough,
you've probably seen the act of throwing in the towel occur. But if you've been around boxing long enough, you've also most likely seen a referee pick up the towell and throw it back out of the ring! That's the ref's perogative.
Only the referee can end a bout prematurely, although he can certainly consult a ringside doctor for advice. Even if a fighter and his corner decide between rounds that the fighter won't come out for the next round, technically, it's the referee who has to make the call and announce the fight over.
What about a corner man coming into the ring during a round? That is altogether different. While a corner man, may indicate that they want the bout to be stopped by standing on - but outside - the ring apron, he may do so. However, once again, all that is meant to do is "express an opinion".
A corner man who actually coming throught the ropes during a round will, baring something completely unforeseen, lead to an immediate disqualification for the corner's fighter. The result of the bout will be listed as such. No checking cards, no sending the corner man back to where he belongs. It's a DQ!
ADDING THIS ELEMENT TO TITLE BOUT II
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To add the possibility of this occuring in a Title Bout II fight, use the following table:
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Before a round begins, note how many points are still needed for a TKO for EACH fighter
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Subtract 5 from the totals to arrive at the round points needed to invoke a check on the Thrown Towel Table.
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Obtain a RN from the "used pile" or unused round deck.
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Apply it to the table below.
