The Unspoken Agreement

We sometimes see this in Boxing.

Its when an agreement occurs subconsciously between both boxers about how the fight is going to pan out. As an example, I can think of a bout late 2009 between Vatali and Kevin Johnson. From round one it was a case of Kevin saying, "i'll paw out the jab one in a while, and pretend to look interested. You then jab me to the ropes where I'll spend all of my time covering up so that I can get past the 12 round..."

Another example would be the Manny vs Clottey. Where Clottey was happy to stand there in defensive mode while Manny puts on an exhibition and for a more recent example Haye vs Audley could be considered a case of just giving his mate a payday with Audley just concerned with covering up any saying 'see how long it takes before you knock me out..."

Maybe this happens as one fighters feels so inferior he has given up before he even gets into the ring. So its a survival mode tactic, and the aggressor feels comfortable just taking his time so both end up agreeing subconsciously with the pattern of how the fight will pan out.

So in your time, which fights have you seen which has struck you of having the unspoken agreement in place?

Thanks.

kev,

Has this article been done before? I recall something similar being done on the old 606

Yep by myself.

As its a new board just posting one or two old articles from my old account (ala Trussy).

Suprised anyone remembers them to be honest!

I'm always on the lookout for this sort of thing. However as you haven't already repeated yourself on 606, I'm willing to allow you some leeway BUT DON'T MAKE A HABIT OF IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unspoken agreement? What about Hopkins vs Robert Allen III? Allen never looked like troubling Bernard and it was perhaps the biggest exercise in futility and to be honest, they could have dispensed with the whole thing and just had Oscar fight B-hop a few months later (would have saved Oscar the embarrasment of robbing poor Felix Sturm that night as well)

Forgot to add, I much prefer your repeated article to TRUSSMAN's

I think Skelton and Sprott may have had an unspoken agreement beforehand. As in, they both agreed to throw absolutely no punches whatsoever and just hug each other all night, and then leave it to the judges to decide whose hugs had been the best.