3. …And So Do Coaches
Another of those things movies get wrong about boxing is that coaches also have to do their jobs. Much like the referees, whose job is to protect both fighters, the coaches have a duty of care toward their own boxer. However, this is something that the movies only ever use as a plot device.
Think about it like this: you work with a fighter for weeks in training. You get to know them as a person, as an athlete, as a colleague, and often as a friend. Then you’re stood at the side of the ring, watching them take a beating that could permanently damage their brain. For some reason, the movies think coaches are capable of doing exactly that without reacting.
In reality, boxing coaches will stop a fight before their boxer gets severely hurt. Of course, this isn’t something that happens at the first sign of trouble, and often the referee beats them to it. Even so, real-life boxing isn’t full of coaches who stand by and watch their fighters take a pounding, shouting words of encouragement as they sustain potentially life-threatening injuries. That’s just in the movies.