LAS VEGAS ? Three days after the Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev decision caused controversy worldwide, there?s another judging dispute underway in ?the boxing capital of the world.?
This controversy began even before the opening bell, though, not after the judges? scorecards were submitted.
Top Rank executives have taken issue with the Nevada State Athletic Commission?s assignment of veteran judge Adalaide Byrd to the high-profile Vasyl Lomachenko-Nicholas Walters fight Saturday night at The Cosmopolitan (HBO; 10:35 p.m. ET). Carl Moretti, Top Rank?s vice president of boxing operations, told BoxingScene.com Tuesday that the NSAC ignored the promotional company?s objection to Byrd working the Manny Pacquiao-Jessie Vargas card November 5 at UNLV?s Thomas & Mack Center, and then assigned her to work the Lomachenko-Walters fight for Lomachenko?s WBO world super featherweight title.
?We respectfully requested that Adalaide Byrd not be assigned to this fight,? Moretti said. ?From there it went on to a conversation [with NSAC executive director Bob Bennett] about how she is a good judge. Some judges can have good nights and can have bad nights. But when she has bad nights, she seems to be too far away from the score. Bob defended her left and right. He didn?t wanna listen to our objection.?
Top Rank founder Bob Arum declined comment Tuesday during an open workout for Lomachenko and Walters, but the usually outspoken promoter acknowledged he is concerned about the potential for controversy if the Lomachenko-Walters fight goes to the scorecards. Top Rank promotes Ukraine?s Lomachenko (6-1, 4 KOs), one of boxing?s elite talents, and Jamaica?s Walters (26-0-1, 21 KOs), an undefeated, powerful former two-division champion.
Lomachenko is managed by Egis Klimas, who also manages Kovalev. Veteran Nevada judges Burt Clements and Glenn Trowbridge, both of whom scored Ward a 114-113 winner over Kovalev, will join Byrd in judging the Lomachenko-Walters fight.
The NSAC accommodated Main Events, Kovalev?s promoter, when the New Jersey-based promotional company objected to Byrd judging Ward-Kovalev. New York?s John McKaie, the third Ward-Kovalev judge, also scored their highly competitive fight 114-113 for Ward.
?Clements and Trowbridge are consistently good judges,? Moretti said. ?We have no problem with them doing the fight. But even with them, it just seemed like after everything that happened Saturday, that not having them judge Lomachenko-Walters would?ve been better for them and for the commission. They don?t need that extra pressure on them after all the controversy with Ward and Kovalev. You don?t think HBO is going to bring that up during the broadcast? But we were told they were assigned to Lomachenko-Walters before Ward-Kovalev and that they couldn?t change it. Look, the commission can do whatever it wants.?
