Pacquiao-Bradley: Utter Disgrace
June 13, 2012It`s been told Tommy Lasorda of Dodger fame once sneezed as he managed his ballclub from the dugout. His pitching coach offered “God Bless You” in kind gesture. Mr. Lasorda asked Why do people bless you when you sneeze and the coach replied that your heart skips a beat when you sneeze so you are blessed to still be here. Mr. Lasorda replied; “Why doesn`t someone bless me when they hit the ball to Sax”? Boxing fans, after the Pacquiao-Bradley contest will one of you loyal readers throw out a “GOD BLESS” to me when the fight goes to the score cards.
One of the most consistent themes that readers have become accustomed of me in recent times is my analysis and explanation, often in depth in regard to how Professional Boxing is scored. Readers will often see me attempt as best as I possibly can, to make sense out of many controversies and just plain messy situations that sadly plague the sport of Boxing on an ongoing basis.
The latest controversy that now plagues the sport of Boxing is the result of last Saturday’s WBO World Welterweight championship fight between Boxing superstar and WBO champion Manny Pacquiao and undefeated Jr. Welterweight world champion Timothy Bradley. What looked like a solid contest on paper between two world class fighters quite frankly was a miss-match. Going into the fight many had asked me for a customary prediction of how the fight would go. As I always do, I did not give any predictions but instead offered a well-educated guess with some explanation as to what may happen.
This was a fight of one fighter’s speed and ability to use angles to execute his offense against a fighter with the ability to walk down his opponents with consistent pressure. The key was would Timothy Bradley be able to neutralize Manny Pacquiao’s speed and nullify his lateral movement in order to get on the inside where he could do damage. When the fight got underway I expected Bradley to use his strength to try and muscle Pacquiao backward and attempt to trap him. This would have been to Bradley’s advantage being a pressure fighter who fights on the inside. Unfortunately last Saturday, Bradley could not execute his game plan.
Pacquiao was able to find a home for his straight left hand and seemed to land it when ever he wanted on Bradley’s face. This was complimented by quick combinations by Pacquiao. Pacquiao appeared to stun Bradley periodically through several of the early rounds. Pacquiao also was able to keep Bradley at distance with his footwork. This was clearly not the kind of fight that those who had picked Bradley to upset Pacquiao had expected. Despite being outgunned and frankly outclassed, Bradley was very “Game” and kept coming forward. Bradley also fought most of the bout hurt as he twisted right ankle and fractured his left foot over the course of the fight. Bradley deserves much credit for fighting through what had to be excruciating pain and continuing to try to turn things around in his favor. Bradley attempted to make an adjustment and try to pick his openings midway through the fight but in the opinion of this observer he was unable to cause any significant damage to Pacquiao nor was he able to land enough punches on a consistent basis to win any rounds.
Timothy Bradley is a very good world class fighter and I take nothing away from him in regard to his accomplishments or his skills. On this night however Bradley was bested by a better fighter who is frankly on another level in terms of skill.
What appeared to almost all observers as a clear decisive win for Pacquiao quickly turned into outrage when the decision of a split decision of a score of 115-113 was rendered for Bradley. What was also apparent to this observer was the facial expressions of Bradley, his corner, and Bradley’s wife prior to the decision being announced at the conclusion of the twelve round championship bout. In the opinion of this observer I believe all believed that Manny Pacquiao had won the fight.
As someone who has been extremely vocal over the years in regard to controversial decisions and for someone with great understanding of how Boxing on both the Amateur and Professional levels is scored, frankly the decision rendered in this fight disgusts me. With all due respect to Timothy Bradley, he did not “Win” this fight, nor was he able to land enough significant punches where one could make an excuse for the scores being close.
Frankly the scores of all three judges are at the least extremely incompetent. Even the score of Judge Jerry Roth who scored the fight 115-113 for Pacquiao is not adequate to the action in the fight. The consensus was that Pacquiao had won this fight by at least margins of 9 rounds to 3 or 10 rounds to 2. My unofficial scorecard was all for Pacquiao as I had him winning by a shut out. To be honest there were two rounds that could have gone either way. I chose to score them for Pacquiao.
The basis of my scorecard was due to the overall ring generalship, clean punching, and defense of Pacquiao. As I said Bradley was very “Game” however he did not land anything significant to win any of the rounds in my opinion. He never stunned or caused any wear and tear to Pacquiao over the course of twelve rounds. Pacquiao however was able to stun and hurt Bradley several times throughout the fight. I can see scores on some scorecards giving Bradley a round or two that may have been considered by some as “Swing rounds” where there may not have been much action going on or a round or two where Pacquiao was not as aggressive. It is absurd however to see a scorecard of 115-113 for either fighter in a fight like this. Pacquiao “Dominated”
Sadly, this is not the first time we have seen an incompetent decision rendered in Las Vegas. Many will recall the recent bout between rising star Brandon Rios and top Lightweight contender Richard Abrill that took place earlier this year. The consensus of that fight was that Abril a pure boxer had out boxed the heavy-handed Rios over twelve rounds and should have won that fight by a wide margin. Unfortunately the judges gave the decision to Rios via split decision with judges Jerry Roth and Glenn Trowbridge scoring the fight 115-113 in Rios favor. Despite the opinion of many of a bad decision and or incompetent scoring the Nevada State Athletic Commission did not take action to at the minimum review the fight to see if disciplinary action was warranted.
We must remember that Jerry Roth did score last Saturday’s fight in favor of Pacquiao however my issue is how could the score be as close as it was? Of course the argument that judges and Athletic commissions often use to try to deflate controversial scoring in fights like this and Rios-Abril is to simply say that the fight looks different on television than it does in person. Also you will hear judges ignore CompuBox statistics in cases where the fighter who landed more punches and at a higher percentage was not declared the victor.
We must also remember that CompuBox statistics are not a part of the judging process and that judges scoring a fight do not have access to those statistics during the fight. Despite the stance of some that if you watch a fight on television, you should do so with the sound muted to block out any crowd noise and or commentary from broadcasters calling the fight, I have always covered Boxing with my eyes not my ears! I do not believe that this fight was close and although I give Bradley much credit for a valiant effort I don’t feel he did enough to make the fight close, much less win it. Therefore I cannot see any justifiable way one may argue how Bradley could have won the fight, much less win five of the last six rounds on the scorecards of Judges Duane Ford and CJ Ross.
Judge Duane Ford is considered by many to be the “Dean” of Boxing judges and I find it hard to believe that a judge as experienced as Ford not only misjudged this fight but made totally unfounded statements Ford stated in an interview with the Las Vegas Review Journal “I thought Bradley gave Pacquiao a boxing lesson, I thought a lot of the rounds were close. Pacquiao missed a lot of punches and I thought he was throwing wildly. This isn't American Idol. If I judge for the people, I shouldn't be a judge. I went in with a clear mind and judged each round." Mr. Ford, with all due respect I very strongly disagree… In my opinion as credible as your credentials were coming into this fight, I believe you will be remembered for this decision. In sports regardless of accomplishments, it only takes one blemish to damage your legacy.
ESPN Boxing Analyst Teddy Atlas said following the fight that this decision again brings to light the need for a national organization to oversee Boxing. Other sports have it and it works. Under this type of organization, judges would be reviewed and held accountable. He alluded to possible corruption within the sport may have played a factor and that a national organization would police such practices. He clearly stated only one man won this fight and that was Manny Pacquiao.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission has stated that it has no plans to review the decision or to discipline the judges. The commission as well has no intention of reviewing the fight. The consensus being that in all close fights, the fighter who loses wants an investigation.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who handles both Pacquiao and Bradley has chosen to appeal not to the commission but to the Nevada State Attorney General for a full inquiry into the fight. No doubt Mr. Arum does not believe that he would obtain an objective review and just ruling from the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Will Justice be done?
This latest controversy has formed many questions surrounding this fight. How could three judges be so opposite of practically everyone else’s take on this fight? Is corruption involved? How could Timothy Bradley state eleven days before the fight that there would be a rematch on Novemeber 10th at the MGM Grand, the venue where last Saturday’s bout took place? Was gambling involved? Who benefits the most out of this?
As a Boxing journalist, historian, and life long fan I say it is time to clean up this sport…Unfortunately when many things go wrong in a sport there comes a time when action must be taken and an example be set. In this case we must set this example regrettably on the Mecca stage of Boxing in the state of Nevada. It is my hope that the readers of this column, Boxing fans, Promoters, Fighters, Journalists, Networks etc. petition the state of Nevada for justice.
I do not expect nor do I call for the state of Nevada to overturn the Pacquiao-Bradley decision however, I would like to see Nevada lead the way and come up with a plan for a national commission. Standards have to be set in our sport and there has to be accountability. Enough is enough…
In closing, in my opinion Manny Pacquiao won this fight, yet I applaud Timothy Bradley for his heart and courage. My opinion on how this decision was rendered; “When there is no reasoning, when there is no plausible evidence, when there is questionable performance, I can only offer, my guess is follow the money…” To parallel the late great Bert Sugar I would have loved to approach these judges however, I may have tripped over their seeing eye dogs…
Comments
25 comment(s) on this page. Add your own comment below.
It is time that government will create a body that overlooked and regulates in the officiating of all boxing fights in the any states.
Bravo!
Nice article. Maybe an online petition would do? Let's force thru public surveys/opinion that these "judges" do take some sort of retreaining and ethics training.
Nice article. Maybe an online petition would do? Let's force thru public surveys/opinion that these "judges" do take some sort of retreaining and ethics training.
I totally agree with you. Like the rest of those who wateched, I also totally agree that Pacquiao dominated this fight. But to save the sport we all love, major changes need to be made. A national boxing commission that will set uniform standards and regulation is needed since there is a lot at stake here.
yes there is an online petition...go to change.org and search for keith terceira...the signatures are now 30 thousand plus and counting...
Bout should be declared a "no contest". WBO belt returned to the deserving winner and 8-division champion, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, to serve justice and credence to boxing as a sport!!!
where can you find someone who has not WON became the WINNER? for GOD sake, let us correct this for the benefit of the much younger generation of the world.
For everyone's sake just declare the fight a NO CONTEST! If the Hopkins-Dawson fight was declared NO CONTEST, why can't this fight be? This is the worst decision in boxing history. Ever!
Declaring the fight a NO CONTEST is the only way boxing and non-boxing fans can see that there's still hope in boxing as a professional sports. No more lengthy discussion and argument, just do the RIGHT THING.
good article!!!if anyone is praying for pacman's loss this should not be this one, this is injustice to boxing world where he carries this with pride and honour even after he lost, still face it with dignity and pride befitting a world class sportsmanship person!!how judges could tarnish boxing is beyond the comprehension of a sane man!
these judges whose ages are already in their departure stage have just put their twilight years into shame and loss of their values and integrity because of their incompetence -or is it for anything else..for money??....both ways it only goes to show they are just one of those unscrupulous persons who by making just one incompetent decision has finally exposed and sealed their legacy to the world that they are just one of those bad algae which suddenly sprouted up in the dark stinking sewer of this world of sin and ahh yes will be remembered in the history of boxing as stinking algae for their bad reputation....alleluiah ./
it’s becoming increasingly apparent that bradley is a protected fighter.
Great piece. Let's not forget also what an incredible gentleman Manny Pacquiao was amidst all this staggering lack of judgment - he simply said I did my best, but my best wasn't good enough. That's the measure of the man.
Hi Techboy,
I couldn't agree with you more. If you've followed my work over the last several years, you know how much I have praised the British Boxing Board of Control for it's efforts to ensure that the sport of Boxing is handled with the upmost integrity.
The difference between the BBBofC and the state athletic commissions here in the United States is the BBBofC oversees practically all of the United Kingdom where as here in the states rules and regulations vary by state. This is why you will often see a fighter who was suspended either for medical reasons or as a disciplinary action seek licensing either in another state or outside of the United States.
It is one of many problems that I believe would be solved if a National/Federal commission or even something along the lines of an International Boxing Board of Control were put in place.
The benefits along with a universal licensing standard for all Boxers would be to regulate judges and referees by holding regular evaluations based on performance and as a means of preventing and or solving any controversies that might surface. This would also give such a board the authority to discipline judges, referees, and Boxers when necessary.
I am a life long fan of the sport of Boxing and have covered the sport for most of my life. It really bothers me to see bad decisions like what happened last weekend. Sadly, it happens too often and with little accountability to prevent decisions like that from happening in the future. As I said in the column "Enough is enough."
Thank you for your comments please forgive the lateness of my reply.
Hi Rick
Thank you. It is my hope that the readers of this column no matter how they are attached to the sport, Fans, Boxers, Promoters, Managers, Media etc. recognize that it is time that we in the Boxing community seek change to solve problems that are such a determent to our sport. In regard to this situation, following the fight I logged on to various forms of social media and I had several people message me saying “Beau, I don’t watch Boxing often and all this fight did was remind me why.”
This is the biggest problem our sport faces. When incompetent decisions like this are rendered and those who are in positions of power more or less ignore it, it sends the wrong message to the casual fan that may be new to the sport. It leaves a bad taste and thus turns people off. I will always stand up and fight for the sport I love. It is time for change.
Thank you for your comments please forgive the lateness of my reply.
Hi Kojie,
Thank you very much. You raise an interesting question in regard to how the Boxing community and fans of the sport should force this issue. If this were ten years ago I would strongly advocate an online petition to rally support around this issue. I know that Senator John McCain has tried on a couple of occasions to get legislation passed in Congress as well as the House of Representatives to get a National Commission together but for what ever reason it has failed each time.
As someone who was totally new to the concept of social media until two years ago, I believe based on what I have seen and conversations that I have had the opportunity to take part in that social media (Twitter, Facebook etc.) may be more effective than an online petition. Perhaps it would serve well to get an online petition together as well as tackle this issue via social media? Numbers don’t lie… The more people that get behind this issue to force it, the harder it will be for those in positions of power to ignore it.
As far as what you suggested in regard to retraining and ethics training well, I know that there are various jobs in all walks of life where no matter how long you have been on the job; you occasionally have to go through evaluations and or recertification. I am all for regular evaluations for referees and judges. Every other sport holds those who officiate in a sport to a high standard. Why not in Boxing? Two of the three judges who worked Pacquiao-Bradley last weekend are extremely experienced and in the case of Duane Ford, as you’ve read he is considered by many to be the “Dean” of Boxing judges and actually gives seminars and teaches other judges how to judge. To me, it doesn’t matter if a person has judged one fight or three-hundred world title fights, no one should be immune from regular evaluations. Boxers have to go through evaluations all the time, so too should officials.,,
If there is ever a petition online or via social media that will bring more support for a National Commission here in the United States or an International Boxing Board of Control to regulate the sport, you can count on my support as I will always be on the front lines ready to stand up for what is right for our sport.
Thank you for your comments please forgive the lateness of my reply.
Hi Clyde,
We are in total agreement in regard to both this fight and what needs to be done to restore the integrity of our sport in the eyes of the public. I can only suggest that you write your local congressman and or, state senator to voice your concerns and rally support around this issue. You have my word anything that is for the betterment of the sport of Boxing I will always be ready to support tirelessly. As I said to Techboy, I am a life long fan of the sport of Boxing and have covered the sport for most of my life. The call for a national or even an international board to regulate the sport is hardly a new concept to yours truly and this is not the first time that I have called for change in our sport and it won’t be the last.
One thing that makes me really feel that change may be sooner than later is that in recent years there has been kind of a pattern of questionable calls by referees and or, incompetent scoring in marquee fights. As I always say, “Like Peanut Butter and Jelly, Boxing and Controversy just go together.” Truer words have never been spoken but like the old saying, “Too much of anything is no good.” A constant diet of controversy and incompetence and even questions of potential corruption in regard to our sport has turned many people against Boxing. As I said enough is enough and I think it just may have taken so many to see such an incompetent decision on a marquee stage to finally get a loud enough rallying cry that something beneficial might and should come out of this. It has been something that I have been screaming for, for Years!
Thank you for your comments please forgive the lateness of my reply.
Hi RR,
I am interested in learning more about this petition that you’ve mentioned and I will be researching to see what I can do to bring new attention to this cause and or corresponding with Mr. Terceira to see how I can be of assistance. Rest assured this is not the first time nor will it be the last time that you will see me discuss this issue. If I can be a part whether it be big or small in bringing positive change to Boxing I will have done my job.
Thank you for your comments please forgive the lateness of my reply.
Hi Roldan,
As of right now the WBO has announced that they are doing their own investigation into the scoring of last weekend’s bout. Senator Harry Reid as well as The Boxing Promoter’s Association have also called for investigation into what happened. As things develop I will be following up on this column. Rest assured I am not done talking about this one. All I can say is Stay tuned.
Thank you for your comments please forgive the lateness of my reply.
Hi Fredie,
I can certainly understand your outrage over the decision in this fight. I myself was extremely disgusted with the result. I don’t know if there will be any change to the result or any disciplinary action to the judges involved but we’ll have to wait and see what happens.
Thank you for your comments please forgive the lateness of my reply.
Hi Noy,
As I said to Roldan, the WBO has announced that they are doing their own investigation into what happened last weekend. As I also said Senator Harry Reid and The Boxing Promoter’s Association among others have called for investigation as well.
In regard to your stance that this should be ruled a no contest and referencing of the first Bernard Hopkins-Chad Dawson fight, it will be up to the WBO and people of higher authority than the Nevada State Athletic Commission to make that decision. Either way I think it is safe to assume that the next round of this contest will likely be fought in a courtroom.
In regard to Hopkins-Dawson -1 The right was incorrectly ruled a TKO against Hopkins who could not continue due to an accidental foul. It was a blown call by referee Pat Russell who did not rule an accidental foul. This was eventually corrected by both the WBC and the California State Athletic Commission.
The difference here is there is no precedent to declare a bout a no contest due to questionable scoring by the judges. It must be proven that there was more to it than mere incompetence in order for something to be done. If a national or international board were in place to regularly review judges’ performance and to intervene in controversies like this we would be having a slightly different conversation as to what should be done.
The recent fight between Paul Williams and Eraslandy Lara could be used as somewhat of a precedent as to what should be done. The consensus is that Lara dominated a fight that Williams seemed to barely make the final bell. However the three judges who scored that fight gave the decision to Williams. Absolute utter incompetence… Although the result was not changed, New Jersey State Athletic Commission Board chairman Aaron Davis indefinitely suspended the three judges involved until further training and evaluation takes place. To Mr. Davis I say Bravo! Perhaps something similar should be done here to force the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s hand. I believe strongly that is why Bob Arum chose to seek inquiry by the Nevada State Attorney General instead of appealing to a commission who almost automatically dismissed the idea of a review of the fight.
We'll have to wait and see what happens. Thank you for your comments please forgive lateness of my reply.
Hi junsepara,
Thank you for the kind words. I certainly understand your anger and I do agree with you that what happened last weekend in regard to this fight was pure injustice. Pacquiao has indeed handled the situation with class and dignity which is something that I think he should be commended for. I can not say for certain if I would be as diplomatic as he has been after a decision like that.
I do believe that the judges involved do have to answer for this decision legitimately and not simply say it’s different when you’re in an arena than it is watching a fight on television. In some cases that can indeed be a legitimate argument but in this case it simply doesn’t hold water and is merely an excuse in the eyes of this observer.
I am still trying to digest this decision so we are in total agreement that what happened is beyond comprehension. We must now wait for what happens next.
Thank you for your comments please forgive the lateness of my reply.
Hi temoteo,
I don’t know necessarily if one can say that the age of the judges played a factor. I know that is one thing that Bob Arum said at the post-fight press conference that he believes that there should be age limits for judges. I take that with a grain of salt because Arum is compromised so his stance can be looked at a couple of different ways depending on what one’s opinion of him is in regard to this situation.
I do believe that no matter what referees and judges should be regularly evaluated based on performance. Other sports have similar procedures in place, Why not Boxing? I can also understand those who are questioning possible corruption here but for now I will give the judges the benefit of the doubt by saying that their decision was at the minimum extremely incompetent.
In regard to what I said in the column with regard to Duane Ford I stand by my belief that as credible as his credentials were in having judged well over a hundred world title fights prior to last weekend’s bout, I believe he will be remembered for this decision. I am also very curious as to what he might be asked when he gives his next seminar in teaching judges. Anyone can have a bad night at the office, we’re all human but I believe this will stain Ford’s legacy. As I said it only takes one blemish.
Thank you for your comments please forgive the lateness of my reply.
Hi Ted,
I don’t know what you mean by Timothy Bradley being a protected fighter. Care to elaborate? I stand by my statement that Bradley was outgunned and frankly outclassed in the fight with Manny Pacquiao. The one thing that troubles me is how Bradley could know a date for a potential rematch and have a ticket stub made and blown up days before this fight took place. Was it merely hype? Was it a psychological tactic? Was it high self-confidence? Or was it something else? I have no idea….
Bradley was very “Game” in the fight where some fighters may have called it a day after being injured as he was. I give him great credit for his effort but with all due respect to his accomplishments and his skills I don’t believe he won this fight. Until proven otherwise, I don’t think the finger of blame should be pointed at Bradley. I think the finger of blame belongs pointed in the direction of the judges.
Thank you for your comments please forgive the lateness of my reply.
Hi Tony,
Thank you for the kind words Manny Pacquiao is pure class without a doubt no one can take that away from him. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens next. The Boxing world is not done with this one. I think you could say this situation is just getting started.
Thank you for your comments please forgive the lateness of my reply.
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