MANILA – The Nevada State Athletic Commission recently approved the use of instant replay for boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) fights.
It also amended a rule that did not allow fighters in boxing and MMA to apply for a license in Nevada if they had previously suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, reported Dan Rafael of ESPN.com.
Such changes “could have a significant impact on boxing in the fight capital of the United States,” wrote Rafael.
The commission expects the new rules to be enforced by September. In the meantime, the rules are awaiting approval by the Nevada’s Legislative Counsel Bureau.
Limited use
It is unclear if the instant replay rule will be used during the clash between Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez on September 19 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
“Mayweather-Marquez will either be the first under the new regulations or the last under the old regulations,” Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada commission, told ESPN.com.
Kizer said the instant replay will be used “only when an injury forces a fight to be stopped.”
The ESPN.com report noted that instant replay will be “adopted on a limited basis and will be at the sole discretion of the referee.”
Kizer also mentioned that instant replay will not be used to determine “if a knockdown is caused by a punch or was a slip.”
Mixed reactions
Filipino promoter Michael Aldeguer, president of ALA Promotions, is opposing the idea of instant replay.
“It might destroy it [the game]. It might take away the taste of the game,” Aldeguer told Edri K. Aznar of Sun.Star Cebu.
“For me, when you do a replay you take away the jurisdiction of the ring official.”
“This may hold true in a basketball game because there are 10 players inside the court. However, in boxing it’s just two warriors fighting each other to win,” noted Aldeguer.
Rex “Wakee” Salud, one of the advisers of pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, saw the advantages of having instant replay.
“It’s a great rule. It would be good for boxing. It would avoid controversy. It would be better because it would be fair. They could determine if a boxer did it [a low blow or a head-butt] intentionally or unintentionally,” he explained.
Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank Promotions, told ESPN.com: “”I like the accuracy it can provide… As long as the use of replay does not jeopardize the action of the contest, I think it will be a good thing and very healthy for the sport.”
