The Boxing Command; 'break!'

[jukel123 7,957]

What's happened to the 'break!' command? Refs now seem to use the word 'stop' or anything else which comes into their heads. The Fury Klitscko repeatedly said 'stop stop stop'. To me that's not a legitimate command and the boxers would be within their rights to ignore it.

Or is it just me?

[CraignTod 278]

Break means move away from each other, first you need to stop them swinging surely the command to stop swinging is stop?

[jukel123 7,957]

Break means move away from each other, first you need to stop them swinging surely the command to stop swinging is stop?

Yes, when the two boxers were leaning on each other and he wanted them to move away from each other he said 'stop stop stop' and then motioned with his hands for them to start boxing again. I would have expected him to say 'break' and then 'box on'??

[*The*Field*Marshall* 674]

Having boxed amateur and pro, I am well accustomed as to what to do when "break" is called . . Ha, I white collar or unlicensed just a few ago, taking on some former kick boxing world champ . . He was fit and strong, but lacked the skill to actually land a glove on me . . Well, except for when the ref shouted break! I stepped back and he clocked me! I looked at the ref and he shrugged his shoulders! I wasn't best impressed!!

[neems 2,406]

'Break' means stop clinching,step back and re-engage,'stop' is short for stop boxing which is exactly what it means.

 

They're different commands for different situations,not interchangeable.

[nans pat 2,575]

Having boxed amateur and pro, I am well accustomed as to what to do when "break" is called . . Ha, I white collar or unlicensed just a few ago, taking on some former kick boxing world champ . . He was fit and strong, but lacked the skill to actually land a glove on me . . Well, except for when the ref shouted break! I stepped back and he clocked me! I looked at the ref and he shrugged his shoulders! I wasn't best impressed!!

defend yerself at all times,1 of the rules

[Astanley 11,565]

My old feller was a referee ,the way he explained it to me was ..break ,is when the boxers are in a clinch with no punches being thrown or one of them is holding , stop boxing ,..covers almost any other eventuality ,eg gum shield out , cut ,corner interference etc etc ,the command stop boxing is usually followed by making sure one boxer goes to a neutral corner .

[jukel123 7,957]

I understand the command 'stop boxing' but to me, the ref in the fury fight seemed to get confused as to what he wanted the boxers to do. To me he should have told them to break and step back instead of stop stop stop and then physically barge his way between them and then give hand signals to get them to start again. He seemed to make life difficult for himself.

In that fight there should have been a command to 'start boxing' there was precious little boxing on show.

[gnasher16 30,058]

" Break " at one time was universally excepted until American referees decided they would prefer to get in and start wrestling the fighters apart......very rarely did you see the old referee Harry Gibbs ever physically touch any fighter......a referee is not only there to see fair play but is also there to encourage a good fight....but still the basics must be adhered to in my opinion.

Edited December 3, 2015 by gnasher16

[J_Edwards 70]

Referees use four command words: "stop", "box", "break" and "time". The command "break" is used to get boxers to undo themselves from a clinch, and they MUST take a step back. "Stop" is used in countless instances, purely to stop the bout, i.e to issue cautions, warnings, knockdowns, to stop the boxing at the end of a round where the boxers may not hear the bell, such as in a noisy venue, etc.

 

If Fury and Klitschko were both holding, then the ref should give commands on the move, such as "don't hold", tapping their hands, and if they don't respond, then use the command "break". If they refuse to break, then the ref should use "stop", and give them both cautions. Given the size of the venue, Tony Weeks probably was giving plenty of commands on the move, you just couldn't hear him, and he only used "stop" to break them up when he thought they had gone too far. It's Weeks' own style, but some referees would have used "break" more. Providing he is quick in doing it, I don't see a problem, as both would take the same amount of time if done right.

 

However, there are some instances when refs can't use "break" and have to use "stop". For example, if boxers are in a clinch on the ropes, the boxer with his back to the ropes can't take the mandatory step back, because the rope blocks them, and they have nowhere to go. Therefore, in that situation, you must use "stop", and move the other boxer back one step, so that they don't lose the attacking advantage.

 

As for the saying anything that comes to their head bit, old school referees were taught to be very stern, and almost sergeant-majorish. They'd use only short, sharp, loud commands, and that's all they'd say, such as "stop, don't hold, box". The bout stopped a lot, and boxers felt they lost a lot of time and momentum from constantly being stopped. Amateur was like this for years, but they brought out new directives for referees a couple of years ago, so now referees act much more like professionals.

 

Modern referees are taught to be much more vocal, constantly giving commands on the move, and to keep the bout "flowing", as it's believed to be better for the boxers, a better, more competitive bout, and much better to watch by spectators. Some referees never stop talking and giving commands to the boxers for the whole bout, and they can touch the boxers, physically pulling them apart, or tapping gloves when in clinches. Professional boxing has been like this for years, but now amateur is moving towards this type of much more assertive officiating.