David Benavidez’s recent knockout victory over Anthony Yarde has generated intense debate in the boxing community, not only because of the result, but also because of a controversial sequence that occurred during the fourth round and, fortunately, did not end in a worse way.
The controversial moment came when Benavidez cornered Yarde and unleashed an incessant barrage of 18 left-handed punches, while seemingly holding his opponent with his right arm. This manoeuvre, which seemed to defy the rules of boxing, raised suspicions of possible “foul play” and an omission on the part of the referee.
Teddy Atlas explains Benavidez’s ‘dirty’ punch against Yarde
To dispel any doubts, legendary trainer and analyst Teddy Atlas weighed in on the discussion. The expert, known for his experience with figures such as Mike Tyson, immediately compared the flurry to a tragic moment in boxing history: the brutal beating Emile Griffith gave Benny “Kid” Paret in 1962, an incident that unfortunately ended in Paret’s death.
Atlas expressed relief that the outcome of the Benavidez-Yarde fight was not similar, but offered a technical explanation for the lack of immediate sanction against the undefeated champion.
“The most confusing thing here is that the referee was in a position to see the hand behind the head and did not intervene. Perhaps a contributing factor was that Yarde may have had Benavidez’s arm locked. Either way, fortunately, there were no serious consequences,” Atlas explained.
Although the referee was positioned to see the action, this possible defensive/offensive maneuver by Yarde might have justified the continuation of Benavidez’s punches.
A story with a tragic ending
In his analysis, Teddy Atlas could not help but recall what happened in 1962 with the fight between Emile Griffith and Benny “Kid” Paret, which ended in tragedy after Paret’s death, an event that marked the history of boxing.
The preview of that fight was quite controversial, as Paret launched homophobic insults at Griffith and then in the fight it was he who put Paret against the ropes and gave him more than 20 punches without stopping until his rival collapsed.
Paret fell into a coma and died 10 days later, generating an enormous impact on the history of boxing and that today it is hoped that something like this will never happen again.
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