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Ugly dent for WBO; Judges, not ref screwed Gorres By Dennis Principe PhilBoxing.com Tue, 27 Feb 2007 SATURDAY night’s controversial split verdict victory of Fernando Montiel over Filipino challenger Z “The Dream” Gorres may lead to an unexpected chink in what has been considered as strong bond between the Philippines and the World Boxing Organization. The monumental boxing card held in Cebu last weekend would have boosted the Philippines’ stock in the sport globally. And why not? It has on its turf Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world today. But the Philippines is still in need of a couple more fighters that will guarantee not only boxing’s growth internally. The country is actually ready to play its part in contributing more legitimate boxing stars to the fore, the same way the Mexicans have been doing since time immemorial. In last weekend’s card, the world saw the emergence of Gorres as one of the country’s best pound-for-pound fighters today. The world-class boxing card painstakingly put up by the dynamic tandem of Sammy Gello-ani and Tony Aldeguer in association with Golden Boy Promotions, was beamed live over The Filipino Channel in many parts of the globe. Many of those who saw the fight believe Gorres gave Montiel a neat boxing lesson in their 12-round bout. But more importantly, Gorres showed to many, including critics, that boxing should also be distinctively known as the sweet science of sports. It would have also given the country’s up-and-coming world caliber fighters more doors of opportunity if ever the soon-to-be-politician Pacquiao calls it quits. However, all these may go for naught after judges Raul Caiz and Chuck Giampa erred in scoring the bout that robbed Gorres of a sweet victory. Just a few minutes after the dubious verdict was announced, the organization’s president Paco Valcarcel told Gorres’ handlers that the youthful Cebuano will definitely retain his number one status in their ratings. From there you can sense that Valcarcel’s rapid response is a testament that the WBO’s top gun felt something went amiss with the judging. You can call it command responsibility on the part of the WBO. Well, it may be a temporary setback but anyway you look at it, it’s still a setback and a painful one at that for Philippine boxing. No thanks to the WBO. ***** IT is understandable for people to deride New York referee Samuel Viruet for his hasty point deductions that many think pirouetted the scorecards of the just concluded Montiel vs. Gorres world superflyweight title fight. In trying to analyze what really was the cause for Gorres being robbed of a close but clear victory, canceling out those two deductions will still result in a majority draw. And a draw would still mean Montiel gets to keep his title, an unfitting verdict for those who intently watched the exciting bout. So where’s the fault? It was a glaring fact that Caiz and Giampa went astray in scoring the fight particularly in rounds 5, 6 and 7. Caiz and Giampa had a final tally of 115-111 and 114-112 respectively for Montiel while third judge Denny Nelson had it 115-111 for Gorres. Gorres, a huge underdog before the fight, clearly dominated rounds 5 and 7 with his superb combinations, jabs and slick but riveting defense. Though the 6th seemed close, many felt Gorres won the round mainly because he scored enough counter connections that wiped out whatever momentum Montiel’s own hits established in that particular round. A check on the official scorecards however saw Caiz giving all three rounds to Montiel. Giampa thought Gorres won the fifth but gave the 6th and 7th to the Mexican. Had Caiz and Giampa given those three rounds to Gorres, the Filipino would have won the fight unanimously. Now even if those points assessed by Viruet to Gorres are to be deducted, the ‘proper’ scores would have been Caiz - 114-112, Giampa – 114-112 and Nelson 115-111 all for Gorres. A Montiel-Gorres sequel here or in the United States, with or without the blessing of the now messed-up WBO is imperative in any case for boxing afficionados. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Dennis Principe.  |
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