WON’T SEE LAURENCE COLE ON TV FOR WHILE
Austin, TX-A fortnight ago, referee Laurence Cole, was working the Juan Manuel Marquez-Jimrex Jaca that was televised nationally on HBO’s Boxing After Dark. At a point in the eighth round Cole stopped the fight because Marquez, the house fighter, had been cut from a number of accidental headbutts. As Cole was leading Marquez to the corner for the MD to eye the injury, he first asked Marquez if he understood English in Spanish. Cole then told Marquez that he was ahead on points!
ADMITTED SUCH HERE AT WWW.RINGTALK.COM
After Cliff Rold penned a piece asking for Cole’s head, the referee called me and told me that he had erred greatly, and that he expected to be suspended. His expectations came through as the Texas Dept. of Licensing & Regulation yesterday suspended Cole for one year. In addition to a $3,000 fine, Laurence Cole will be on “probation” until April 1, 2008.
STIFF PENALTY SHOWS NO FAVORTISM
Cole’s father, Dick Cole, is the TDLR Director. This may have gotten Laurence some plumb opportunities in making him the most recognized referee from the state, but it sure didn’t help him in this instance. Cole has two choices I believe. 1 Appear before the TDLR and ask for some lenience. 2 Take it and shut up. If I were Laurence, I’d opt for #1, but I wouldn’t start a letter writing campaign, have Muhammad Ali appear or him, or any crap like that. Don’t politicize this any further is my advice, as the blogosphere will eat him alive with emails to the TDLR.
TV CREW SHOWED THEIR LAMENESS
Not only did none of the HBO Boxing After Dark team call Cole, or his father, on the carpet during or after the fight, nobody has subsequently said anything. Says something about their unwillingness to anything that might raise some dust. Surely Max Kellerman and Emanuel Steward, these two should have made at least a little stink about Cole’ actions. And after such an egregious act of either incompetence, or worse, that was Cole in the semi-main event Saturday night on the HBO card from Little Rock, AR.
CAN YOU FEEL PEDRO HERE FOLKS?
That in itself shows what is wrong with boxing. Les than a month after such a major gaff, Cole gets a “plumb” TV assignment. Need I say anymore?
