THE ?sweet science,? with its curious amalgam of arcane rules and profligate events will always be a hotbed for controversy. It?s not infamously referred to as the red-light district of sports for nothing.
Think the verdict in Pacquiao-Bradley was hogwash? Well, it?s just the latest installment of several bum decisions that have plagued the sport for decades.
By virtue of it being fought on the world-wide stage, the pernicious deeds were brought to the fore.
But consider the fact that bum decisions are rendered in so many arenas all over the world by incompetent judges.
Consequently, with no media brouhaha to highlight the injustice, many fighters are left to suffer in lonely, aching silence.
I personally have witnessed local fights wherein I was left scratching my head on how one judge arrived at his tally.
Here are some of the most controversial decisions in boxing in recent years:
1.) Pernell Whitaker vs. Julio Cesar Chavez?The greatest Mexican fighter of all time, Julio Cesar Chavez was on a roll. He was the best pound for pound fighter on the planet and had amassed an incredible record of (87-0), which is unheard of nowadays.
But ?Sweet Pea?s? defensive skills made the ?Lion of Culiacan? look bad and had him pawing at nothing but thin air for most of the fight. Most observers had Whitaker winning the fight, but the judges gifted Chavez with a majority draw, allowing him to keep his undefeated record at that point in his career.
2.) Oscar de la Hoya vs. Shane Mosley 2??The Golden Boy? won the first half of the fight and controlled Mosley with his jab. He may have given away some of the latter rounds to his opponent when his output waned, but apparently did enough to earn the nod. Most of the fans thought so too, but the judges disagreed and turned in identical 115-113 verdicts for Mosley.
3.) Lennox Lewis vs. Evander Holyfield 1?Lewis out-landed and outworked ?The Real Deal? for majority of the rounds, but the judges somehow saw the fight dead even.
4.) Ike Quartey vs. Vernon Forrest?Quartey was boxing the ears off the taller albeit more mechanical Forrest with his jab and savvy counter-punching. However, the judges inexplicably saw it for the late Vernon by a wide, unanimous decision.
5.) Oscar de la Hoya vs. Felix Trinidad?Yes, Oscar seems to have a knack for getting involved in controversial conclusions. He was thoroughly out-boxing a strangely reticent ?Tito? for majority of the rounds when he inexplicably gave away the last three by running around the ring and refusing to engage. Two of the judges ruled in favor of the Puerto Rican star in a disputed Majority decision.
FEEDBACK. Thanks for Last Rounder Brian Leonardo for his erudite take on Pacquiao-Bradley. Here?s Brian:
?Manny won, enough said! He did however lose his belt, but I can live with that. I?m trying to see this in a positive light. Trust me, he needs this loss as it will pull him back to earth and keep him grounded. He will be better because of this, I assure you. He needs to train hard like he did before – hungry for glory! If he is focused, he is a beast. And making the whole world wait for him because he needs to finish the Boston-Miami game is a sign of unprofessionalism. Of course he can make the whole world wait, he is Manny Pacquiao! But you don?t have to just because you can. Everybody knows he won, even Bradley. He always comes out superb after a loss. He?ll knock Bradley out the next time I promise you. I?ll skin my head if he loses. Cheer up world!?
Thanks Brian. Although I?m confident Manny will come out on top, a kayo might not be an absolute certainty. Are you sure you are prepared to look like Tim Bradley if that doesn?t happen?
CHAVEZ VS LEE. I?m sniffing an upset when Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. squares off with Irishman Andy Lee today. Or perhaps another bogus adjudication for a favored fighter.
LAST ROUND. It?s on Handrew and Yacinth Sincero who recently exchanged wedding vows. Cheers!
