Boxing Needs to Penalise Cowardice

There’s no polite way to say this: what happened in Canelo vs. William Scull wasn’t a fight. It was a 12-round exhibition of survival, not competition. And while Canelo got the win on the cards, boxing as a whole took a loss.

Because when a sport allows a world title challenger to show up, do nothing, and leave with his health and paycheck intact, without ever trying to win, something is broken. Boxing needs to fix it. And it starts by penalising cowardice.

The Flaw in the System

Boxing was built to reward clean punches, effective defence, and control of the ring. But the modern scoring and enforcement landscape allows something else. Fighters can exploit the rules to win without ever engaging in a real fight.

They land a few pot shots, then spend the rest of the round running or clinching, stalling any chance for their opponent to respond. It is not survival. It is manipulation. They do just enough to steal rounds while avoiding any real exchanges.

The result?

Fans who paid to see this fight are forced to sit through 30 minutes of running while the “fighter” collects millions, leaving the audience bored, unsatisfied, and questioning why they tuned in at all.

THIS IS HOW THE SPORT DIES!

When Surviving Becomes the Strategy

William Scull didn’t come to beat Canelo. He came to last twelve rounds. And in doing so, he did something far worse than losing. He wasted the moment. A world title shot became a sparring session. The crowd paid. The champion pushed. The challenger covered up and coasted.

This wasn’t strategy. It was abuse of the rules. There is a difference between smart defence and refusing to fight. Scull chose the latter. And the system not only allowed it but nearly rewarded it, with one judge giving him five of the twelve rounds on the scorecard.

What It’s Doing to the Sport

Fans notice. They boo. They leave early. They stop tuning in.
Fighters notice. They start copying it.
The sport suffers. Highlight reels dry up. Rivalries fade. And worst of all, greatness gets punished.

When Canelo risks everything and gets dragged into a glorified spar, his legacy is hurt. The opponent walks away untouched, physically and reputationally. That imbalance is corrosive. It kills careers and kills fanbases.

Other Sports Don’t Tolerate This

In MMA, stalling on the ground earns you a warning.

In wrestling, passivity gets you penalised.

In football, time-wasting is punished.

Boxing, somehow, still lets fighters run, hold, and hide with zero consequence. A “fight” becomes a game of avoidance. And we wonder why viewership dips.

There Are Solutions

This isn’t hard to fix.

• Enforce a minimum output threshold; if you’re not throwing, you’re not fighting.
  
  

• Penalise excessive clinching with point deductions.
  
  

• Give referees authority to issue passivity warnings.
  
  

• Create scoring incentives for pressure, aggression, and damage inflicted.
  
  

It’s not about turning boxing into a brawl. It’s about restoring accountability. If you don’t try to win, you shouldn’t make it to the final bell with your record intact.

The Pushback? Weak.

Some will say, “He was just being smart.” No. He was playing the system, not the fight.
Others will argue, “Defence is part of boxing.” Yes, but so is engagement.
And the oldest excuse: “Maybe he was injured.” Then he shouldn’t have been in a championship fight.

Boxing is a sport, yes. But it’s also combat. It’s built on the willingness to risk something. If fighters can climb the ranks without ever taking that risk, what’s left?

Fighting Is the Job

We glorify champions for their bravery. We talk about legacy, heart, and sacrifice. But when we reward those who show up and run, we destroy the very thing that makes boxing different.

You don’t play boxing. You fight.

If you don’t fight, you shouldn’t be there.

Penalise cowardice. Reward courage.

That’s the only way this sport survives.

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