The purpose of throwing the towels from the corner is when you believe that the fighter no longer has the potential to fight and you want the bout to end.
For years, cornerman has been considered the person throwing the towel to stop the fight. Under the rules of boxing, only a referee can stop any fight. No one else has the right to stop the bout without the ref’s permission. The referee can completely ignore such acts. There have been several cases in the past that have caused unfair results due to cornermen throwing towels.
In the history of boxing, one of the most famous cases has been where Melvina Latham had Vitali winning 88-83. Due to such cases in the past, throwing towels is considered illegal in many formats of fighting.
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What Happens if a Towel Is Thrown in Boxing?
When a towel is thrown, a referee can either acknowledge the sign and end the fight, or can also ignore it in many situations. Throwing a towel in the ring is often done by the trainer or the cornerman of a fighter as a signal that the fight should end.
The cornerman throws in the towel to signal that the fighter is being overwhelmed by the opponent or is knocked down. Throwing a towel in boxing is considered a sign of surrender. Most cornermen think that the fight will automatically stop if they throw the towel.
Is Throwing in the Towel a TKO?
When cornerman feels that the boxer is unable to fight then they throw towel towards them
To end the fight, they throw a towel or a sponge into the ring and it is often considered a technical knockout (TKO). If the trainer or cornerman feels that the boxer is unable to fight any further and should not continue to fight
Such situations have been evident in the past where fighters were on the brink of getting knocked out and their cornerman threw a towel or a sponge in the ring to indicate that their fighter doesn’t have more potential to fight. The conclusion surely depends on the referee too.
Can a Referee Overrule a Towel?
A referee has the power to ignore the towel under some circumstances (although rare). If the referee feels that the fighter is fit to fight and can continue, the referee can completely ignore the towel. Under the rules of boxing, only the ref has the power to stop any bout.
Officials certainly acknowledge the signs from the trainer or cornerman, but if the fighters seem fine enough to continue the fight, the referee might ignore the towel. There have been cases in the past when the fighters were on the brink of winning and their cornerman threw in the towel to end the fight.
Can Corners Throw the Towel in UFC?
Corners cannot throw in towel in the UFC. It is a punishable foul where the opposite fighter can be awarded a win due to disqualification or deduction in points. Such acts are not accepted in UFC. The referee decides to either end the fight or deduct some points from the fighter.
At UFC 125, Frankie Edgar’s cornerman nearly threw in the towel, but UFC rules don’t allow this to happen. Even though it is considered a surrender by the opposing party, only the fighter can tap out from the fight.
Sometimes the fighters have the potential to fight, but the cornerman is mistaken that they are drained out. Due to such errors, towel throw is considered illegal in UFC.
Also Read: Red Vs Blue in MMA (UFC); Boxing: What The Meaning?
Has Refs Ever Ignored Towel Thrown?
There are many fights in history where refs have ignored the throwing towel
There have been many fights in history, where refs have ignored the towel throw. In a fight between Lewis Ritson and Jeremias Ponce, the fans were shunned by the referee who threw back the towel out of the ring.
It was a much-awaited match with a limited crowd. Both fighters returned to the ring after a long period. However, Ritson was severely hurt in the first round but happened to survive the blows.
The fighter surely struggled to fight back but was beaten intensely in the 10th round. Ritson made it back to his feet but a towel was thrown from the corner he had enough. Ritson thought that the fight was ended but the referee chucked the towel back out. The fight was resumed and the fighter was beaten up more before he collapsed.
He got extra punishment due to what the referee did in the 10th round. It was a very rare sight where the ref ignored the signal from the corner and even retaliated. The video of this incident surfaced on the internet, many were in the favour of what the ref did, and many were against his decision.
FAQs
Q: Can You Throw in the Towel in MMA (UFC)?
It is illegal to throw in a towel in MMA (UFC). As per the rules of UFC, the cornerman, trainer, or anyone else from the team of the fighter is not allowed to throw the towel in the ring to indicate surrender. The fighter can tap out from the fight if he or she feels that they are completely drained and don’t have the potential to fight more.
Throwing in the towel can result in disqualification or even a deduction in the points, depending on the decision made by the referee.
Q: When Did Throw in the Towel Originate?
The use of throwing towel began in the early 1900s, as a sign of surrender or defeat. In the early 1900s, the boxing arena started to witness cornermen and trainers throwing in the towel to declare defeat if their fighters no longer have the potential to fight. The practice began with a match between Jack Dempsey and Luis Firpo in the 1920s.
Firpo was knocked down by his opponent three times only in the first round and the fight was stopped by a towel throw. It is considered as the beginning of throwing a towel to give a sign of surrender.
