I always tell people that I am not a boxing fan; I am a boxing writer. I attempt to be objective and report only what I see?
People have differing opinions about state boxing commissions. Promoters often do not appreciate commissions because they interfere with their work. Promoters often do not are for them because they get in the way of their work. They are hindered from making the matches they want and, when problems arise before a show, they cannot skirt the edges of what is ethical or even legal. Many boxing commissions, as pointed out on several occasions by Teddy Atlas, are incompetent.
In Washington State the boxing commission was a division of the state hairdressing licensing division. They knew more about perms than boxing. The frustrating part was they had no inclination to learn about boxing. Fortunately that has changed. They still do not know how to approve matches because they rely on a boxer?s record and refuse to take into consideration who he has fought; therefore a boxer who has lost several fights to top contenders, or even to world champions, is often rated lower than a boxer with an unblemished record against street bums and tuna salesmen.
The primary reason for boxing commissions should be for the safety of the boxers, to make sure there are no substantial mismatches that could result in serious injury. They also make sure a show runs legally, weigh-ins are done properly, there is nothing strange about the judging or suspicious calls by the referees, that the boxers are properly paid, and many other small details like certified gloves, etc.
Without a commission you get a show like the one last year held in a cow pasture on an Indian Reservation in Hays, Montana. The people putting on the show are all good people but knew nothing about boxing.
The fights suffered problems from the beginning. Because there was no cell phone coverage in the area, many boxers did not know how the find the weigh-in and there was no way to call and find out where it was being held. No one in the area had heard anything about the fight so the boxers returned home. This left a void of fighters that needed to be filled. Any boxer would do.
Patrick Ferguson (8-0, 8KO) vs. Zoltan Petranyi (56-23) did not happen. Ferguson, an unbeaten star in the cruiserweight division, was anxious to take his first step up in class against the Hungarian veteran. Petranyi hit the scale on time and on weight. Ferguson was not there. Petranyi stayed at the weigh-in until midnight but, because the nearest hotel room was 30 miles distant down a gravel road, had something to eat and finally left. Ferguson had gotten lost and arrived the following morning. He had eaten and was several pounds overweight. Petranyi refused to fight unless Ferguson took off the pounds, an impossible task just hours before the fight.
Ferguson?s manager, Ray Frye, had the perfect and logical solution, one any American fighter would have taken. Let them both weigh in now. If Ferguson weighed more than Petranyi, he would take off the weight so they would both step into the ring weighing the same. Petranyi refused. The call went out for a replacement for Ferguson.
One thing about American fighters, especially Native American fighters, they don?t lack for guts. Ruben Roundstone, a local kid with a record of 0-1, would have fought Mike Tyson in his prime. No commission would have approved the fight. Roundstone stepped into the ring and, for 32 seconds, gave Ferguson his best shot. Ferguson knocked him to the canvas, where he should have stayed. Pride returned him to his feet. Ferguson pummeled him with a body shot so vicious his breath was last seen somewhere over Wyoming.
The fight was a letdown for Ferguson. He was anxious to take the next step and he wanted to return to the ring as soon as possible.
The fight between Stephen Villalobos and Daniel Gonzalez was almost manslaughter. According to witnesses, Villalobos? original opponent, appeared briefly, then, for reasons known only to him, scurried quickly back across the border to Canada. Good natured, Daniel Gonzales was called in from Billings. Gonzales (12-42-1) was already such damaged goods that he was presently on suspension and could not legally fight anywhere in the world except on a Native American Reservation where they make their own rules. He drove directly from work to the fight and was returning home after the fight. He was all grins when he arrived and wandered about thanking the crowd for coming. He was also concerned about his money and wanted to know where to collect his purse after the fight. The Villalobos team had agreed to pay him.
He stepped into the ring on unsteady legs and tilted to one side, clearly not in full control of his motor skills. At the bell the attempted execution began as the unbeaten Villalobos tore into him like a pit bull on a dog biscuit. Within 15 seconds anyone could see the criminal mismatch. Some men are too tough for their own good. Gonzales refused to go down.
Boxing needs professional opponents on which to build their fighters. Many boxers take terrible beatings with few physical or mental effects and earn a decent living. Those who become damaged need to retire. A decent commission will see that this is done.
Villalobos, a decent young man with great potential, saw the futility of the fight. He even encouraged Gonzales to throw punches and looked to the referee as if to ask him to stop the fight. Apparently the referee thought it was a world title fight and that someone totally defenseless should be given his chance. Gonzales probably never threw more than a half dozen meaningless punches during the entire 4-round fight. If the referee, or the doctor, did not have enough humanity to stop the fight, his corner should have thrown in the towel. A decent commission would have stopped the fight. No, they would not have approved the fight in the first place. Anyone who thought a fight like this one would return boxing to Montana must be a sadist. The last time I checked, murder is illegal in all 50 states. Nothing could be worse for the ?sport.?
After the fight, Gonzales, almost blind from the beating he took, stumbled about thanking everyone for coming.
I wrote several articles about this fight and sent them to Montana?s governor. I don?t know if it did any good, but not long afterwards Montana formed a boxing commission. I always tell people that I am not a boxing fan; I am a boxing writer. I attempt to be objective and report only what I see. My main concern is always for the safety of the boxers. People in the business often abuse them. The least they can do is to keep them as safe as possible. Decent and knowledgeable boxing commissions are a good start.
