Is clinching a part of boxing ?

[Mayorga-Rules]

Hi,
Yesterday i watched Ricky Hatton vs Kosta Tzyu and Mayweather vs Castillo and i really thought i watched two different sports.
In the first one, clinching was a part of it as long as you kept the action going, in the second, clinching wasn't a part of the game at all.
Lennox Lewis, when he was commentating was giving grief to a ref because he broke the fight at every clinch and said it was part of the game.

I think what is allowed depends on the ref, some consider you can block punches with your elbows, some say it's cheating.

And you do you think Clinching is a part of boxing? Explain why.

[Doctor_Tenma]

Yes, clinching is a part of boxing, I really don't have a problem with it. Excessive clinching Wlad, Ward, Berto and Hatton can be a problem.

[keepthemhandsup]

clinching is a part of boxing it goes with stragety.

say if im on the ropes and the boxer is coming towards me, i can clinch and turn him around to get him on the ropes or try to escape

and even though it's dirty land of copule shots in

and if im hurt i can clinch to gather my thoughts

[#1Assassin]

i feel your angle is mayweather clinches get broken up to quickly.. lennox made that remark when a fighter was being warned by the ref for clinching too much. not cuz clinches were getting broken up to quickly.

clinching is part of the game in a way refs shouldnt be too quick to deduct points and issue out warnings for eccessive. its not part of the game in a way that they should not be broken up. or that u should be allowed to hit and hold. thats a

[MindBat]

Yes clinching is a part of boxing.

When done excessively, a fighter risks getting a point taken away.

There's a right time for it.

[MANGLER]

Yea it is. As long as there's punches bein mixed in between movement and clinchin, there ain't nothin wrong wit it. It just sucks when it gets to excessive.

[Xyei]

Yep, definitely part of the game.

[Vivid Intent]

Yes, unfortunately it's part of the game. But it should be clamped down on, I don't mind people clinching when they're hurt or very tired but it pisses me off when we see it used as a strategy, ie. Hopkins, Ward, Berto, etc. If Berto wasn't deducted the early point against Collazo we might not have seen one of the best fights of the year. I think it's spoiling potential great fights.

[rizkybizness]

Is boxing a part of clinching?

Riddle me this

[The Gambler1981]

Yes it is part of the game, not clinching can lead to very bad things for a fighter.

That said clinching to much can make a fight very hard to watch. When a fighter throws one punch while rushing in (basically to force a clinch, because they rush in they can not stop short and most likely do not want to stop anyways because stopping short would leave them vulnerable to getting hit) that style is amongst the worst for me to watch.

Clinching is a part of defense but if it is a fighters only defensive move that to me shows real flaws in their game, it is a very predictable (to me if a fighter does something over and over against a good enough opponent it will cost them almost every time).