There is a dictum in boxing that when a round is close or could go either way, you score it for the aggressor. There is another dictum that according to Tom Kaczmarek in his 29-page booklet ?You Be The Boxing Judge!,? good defense is not holding, clinching or running ? ?in fact, holding and clinching are subject to penalty by the referee if abused.?
What happened in the supposed Fight of the Century between Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas last weekend was a disappointment. Fans paid good money to watch an eventful bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena or in their homes on pay-per-view TV or in closed circuit theaters. They felt robbed in the end. So did Pacquiao.
The Battle For Greatness was touted to preserve the integrity of boxing by determining the true world welterweight champion since the winner would be recognized by three of the four leading governing bodies, the WBA, WBC and WBO. Only the IBF was left out of the equation. The IBF welterweight champion is unbeaten Englishman Kell Brook. The commercially-oriented WBA has two titlists, Mayweather in the ?super? category and undefeated Keith Thurman in the ?regular? category, so it charges sanction fees both ways. Mayweather is the WBA?s business class champion while Thurman is the economy class ruler. There are 74 world champions in 17 weight divisions recognized by the four bodies, an anomaly that Mayweather and Pacquiao were out to address at least in the welterweight class.
The megafight went the distance and the decision went to Mayweather. Three judges were unanimous in picking Mayweather and it seemed like Pacquiao had no chance to pull off an upset from the onset with the judges awarding the first three and last two rounds to the American. It was like they gave Mayweather an early cushion and made sure of the outcome with a late padding.
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Did the fight actually preserve the integrity of the sport or did it contribute to its deterioration? Firstly, the verdict was questionable. I thought it was close and could?ve gone either way. That was how trainer Freddie Roach and chief assistant Marvin Somodio saw it. I actually scored it for Pacquiao who was surprised that he lost. Sugar Shane Mosley and Evander Holyfield said Pacquiao had done enough to win. Secondly, the disparity in the scores was unreal. How could Moretti have given Pacquiao only two rounds? Surely, Pacquiao deserved some credit for his aggressiveness. Thirdly, it appeared that the cards were stacked against Pacquiao from the start as Mayweather was the lead promoter of the shebang. Mayweather controlled the show from when conditions were set for it to happen. Pacquiao had virtually no say on the terms of engagement. Sportshub ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
In Kaczmarek?s booklet, he said a judge must be impartial, fully concentrated, objective and fair. ?Do not score on the basis of race, color or creed (and) do not be influenced by the location of the bout,? he said.
Kaczmarek said the basis factors used to score a round and ultimately a fight are clean punching, effective aggressiveness, ring generalship and defense. ?Boxing is a combative sport,? he said. ?Getting off first, scoring clean punches in quantity and with quality, regardless of the direction the fighter is moving, should win the round.? He qualified that ?simply moving forward without effective punching is not enough.?
Kaczmarek said ?because of the combative nature of boxing, it would be difficult to award a round to a fighter who has not displayed a more effective offense than his opponent ? a good defense simply can?t overcome an effective offense.?
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Against Pacquiao, Mayweather resorted to holding down his head with a headlock or clipping his right hand while banging with his own right whenever they came dangerously close to each other. ?Holding is usually a last resort employed to avert aggressive tactics of an opponent,? said Kaczmarek. ?Remember that holding and clinching are subject to penalty by the referee if abused. What is good defense? It is averting punches by blocking, bobbing and weaving, good footwork and lateral movement. These are assets possessed by the skilled fighter. In close rounds, when neither fighter has an edge offensively, good defense could well be the deciding factor.?
Kaczmarek said of the three basic fundamentals in scoring a fight, a combination of clean punching and effective aggressiveness are the key factors. ?Whatever else is happening in the round, the fighter who is scoring clean solid punches, forcing the action and getting off first is going to win the round,? he said. ?Skillful ring generalship which enables the fighter to control his opponent is also significant. Good fighters usually possess a combination of both clean punching/effective aggressiveness and ring generalship. They score points and ultimately win rounds.?
Mayweather was warned for holding, clinching and even low blows by referee Kenny Bayless but got away with running. Pacquiao knew what Mayweather would do entering the fight. He was prepared to chase him down, cut the ring off and force an engagement. But with only one effective hand starting the third or fourth round, Pacquiao couldn?t execute the way he planned. Still, he was the aggressor. The problem was the three judges weren?t impressed. In boxing, you win by boxing not by running or holding. Mayweather did little to preserve the integrity of the fight game. In fact, he might have compromised it. He remains unbeaten with a 48-0 record but fans find it difficult to agree with his self-proclaimed declaration that he?s The Best Ever.
