After the fight: Don’t call Billy Joe Saunders a quitter

Many fans and boxing pundits were quick to label Billy Joe Saunders as a quitter after his loss to Canelo Alvarez, but that’s a bad take on all fronts. 

Billy Joe Saunders was boxing well against Canelo Alvarez on May 8, although he was losing. Then, Alvarez’s right uppercut obliterated Saunders’ orbital bone, and the fight was over. That didn’t surprise me. That’s boxing. What did catch me off guard was the reaction people had to the end of the fight.

Many boxing fans and journalists labeled Billy Joe Saunders as a quitter once the corner called the fight after round 8. Everyone has a right to their opinion, even if it’s a bad one. Fans are biased and often think with the heart instead of their mind while watching a fight. They’re pulling for one side, and that guides their vision and response to a fight.

Journalists, on the other hand, are supposed to be objective. When they cover a sporting event, they’re supposed to check their leanings at the door and judge the action in the ring with their logic without allowing their heart to get in the way. Many didn’t follow that rule when they called Saunders’ a quitter.

I was amazed by how many journalists tweeted out harsh judgments of Saunders. I was even more perplexed by the number that stood by their decision to disparage Saunders as a quitter. For those that did rescind their words, many used faulty logic for their initial take.

Anyone who has covered boxing for a moderate period could have predicted that Saunders suffered a broken orbital bone. When Alvarez connected with his thunderous right uppercut midway through round 8, Saunders’ eye immediately swelled shut. There aren’t too many injuries that cause an instantaneous result like that to the eye.

Still, many said they were unaware of the severity of Saunders’ injury. I don’t buy that. Public backlash has a way of getting people to reverse course.

Billy Joe Saunders couldn’t fight on after Canelo Alvarez broke his orbital bone, but somehow, people think Saunders should have continued

Others tried to defend their comments by bringing up Saunders’ harsh assessment of Daniel Dubois after taking a 10-count after suffering a broken orbital bone against Joe Joyce. I hate cliches, but two wrongs don’t make a right.

Saunders is boisterous, foul-mouthed, and a braggart. That doesn’t make it okay to ridicule him because he didn’t continue fighting with a catastrophic injury. That’s kicking someone when they’re down and piling on because of personal feelings.

I saw takes where people tried to say that calling Saunders a quitter wasn’t a personal dig, just an honest assessment. The problem is that the connotation behind the word is attacking in nature. Even by definition, that word comes off as an insult.

Definition.com defines a quitter as “a person who quits or gives up easily, especially in the face of some difficulty, danger, etc.”

There was nothing easy about Saunders’ night against Alvarez. A demolished orbital bone is more than “some difficulty.”

That assessment is also false based on the facts. Saunders’ cornerman Mark Tibbs decided to stop the fight as he told Boxing Social (h/t 3kingsboxing.com). Saunders didn’t appear to fight back against Tibbs’ decision, which doesn’t make him a quitter. That means he trusts his corner’s evaluation and decision-making.

The Athletic’s Mike Coppinger revealed that Saunders had a quadripod fracture, which sounds like one of the worst orbital breaks you can have. If Saunders continued fighting, he would have risked his eyesight and long-term health.

Super bantamweight boxer Danny Roman gave me his view on those calling Saunders a quitter.

“Like I keep on saying, you know, health is more important,” Roman told FanSided. “We want to give people everything. You want to leave it all in the ring. At the same time, you got to take care of yourself.”

People are using the term “quitter” condescendingly towards Saunders. It’s a patronizing word that’s meant as an insult. If people don’t mean to speak negatively towards Saunders, they should pick another adjective to characterize his actions.

People who choose to designate Saunders as a quitter are doing themselves a disservice. It’s a mean-spirited reaction embodying a lack of empathy and compassion. Boxers put their lives on the line every time they step in the ring, and they deserve more respect than being belittled after being injured.