Pod Index: A Review of Judging in 2012
2012 was a memorable year for boxing judges. Of course it will be most remembered for the decision in the Pacquiao-Bradley fight. But there were hundreds of championship fights throughout the year. Here we take a look at a few interesting findings.
Most Inconsistent Decision of 2012
Brandon Rios vs. Richard Abril, April 14th at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Nevada for the WBA lightweight title. The total Pod Index for the match was 55.6%?tied for lowest out of all world title fights that went the distance in 2012. The final scores of the bout produced wild swings in a split decision victory for Brandon Rios. Judge Adalaide Byrd awarded the bout to Richard Abril handily, 117-111. But she was overruled by judges Roth and Trowbridge, who scored it 116-112 and 115-113, respectively, for Rios. The judges were in agreement in only four rounds. Byrd and Trowbridge were in the minority in three rounds each, while Roth was the odd man out twice.
Most Active Judges in 2012
#1 Levi Martinez, from New Mexico, scored 88 world championship rounds in 2012.
#2 Stanley Christodoulou, from South Africa, scored 81 world championship rounds in 2012.
#3 Duane Ford, from Nevada, scored 78 world championship rounds in 2012.
Most Talked about Decision of 2012
Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley, June 9th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada for the WBO welterweight title. The total Pod Index for the match was 66.7%. Most of the ringside media and fans had Pacquiao retaining his title, but Bradley walked away with a split decision. The WBO sponsored an unofficial re-scoring of the bout using five of its judges. All five awarded the fight to Pacquiao with varying margins.
Most Consistent Judges (2009-2012)
#1 Julie Lederman, from New York, holds a Pod Index of 89.4% over her 113 championship rounds scored over the past four years. According to the statistics, Julie demonstrates a high level of consistency in both somewhat competitive and less competitive bouts.
#2 Benoit Roussel, from Canada, maintains a Pod Index of 88.0% over his 73 championship rounds scored over the past four years. Perhaps most impressive is Benoit?s consistency during the most competitive fights, where he scores 17 percentage points higher than the average world championship judge.
#3 Manfred Kuechler, from Germany, sustains a Pod Index of 86.2% over his 116 championship rounds scored over the past four years. All of Manfred?s title assignments have taken place in Europe, where he proves to be very consistent across all types of fights, from the most competitive to the one-sided matches.
Ranking of All Judges (2009-2012)
Disclaimer: We are not claiming that judges with low Pod Index Scores are bad judges. The Pod Index is simply a measurement of round by round variation compared to other judges
