The spectre of controversy seems to be always be around in Sin City on fight night. Last night that spectre made its' presence known loud and clear.
Last night at the MGM Grand Manny Pacquiao, one of the two best pound-for-pound fighters in boxing, lost his WBO Welterweight title to Timothy Bradley in a very controversial split decision. The words 'very controversial' are the kindest that can be used to describe the decision.
Judge Jerry Roth had the fight 115-113 for Pacquiao. Judges C.J. Ross and Duane Ford had the fight 115-113 for Bradley. Personally I had the fight 117-111 for Pacquiao.
It was evident from the beginning of the bout that Pacquiao was the superior fighter. He was faster, landed more punches, and timed his punches beautifully. It was also evident that Pacquiao's punches had more power to them compared to Bradley. Give credit to Bradley though, he was hurt both by Pacquiao's punches and by injuries to both his feet during the fight, but he was never knocked down and fought to win the whole time. Bradley didn't try to boast either after the fight. He even told HBO analyst Max Kellerman that he was going to watch the fight on film to see if he actually won it.
The questions that have arisen from this mess are what's disturbing. First there are the betting odds shifting as the fight date got closer. Then there was the revelation that ESPN's Teddy Atlas stated about Pacquiao's business relationship with his promoter Bob Arum. Atlas stated that Pacquiao's contract with Arum's Top Rank Promotions is almost up and that there are rumblings of Pacquiao not resigning with Arum. In Atlas's own words when situations like this arise in boxing "funny things happen."
Funny things seem to be happening a lot lately when it comes to Bob Arum.
This decision is the second major robbery that I can think of at the top of my head this year involving an Arum promoted fighter.
The first one involved 'undefeated' lightweight fighter Brandon Rios April 14. Rios fought Richard Abril that night for the vacated WBA Lightweight title. Rios held the belt until he was stripped of it due to not making weight before his fight with John Murray. Rios again failed to make weight for this fight so the title could only be won by Abril. Throughout the fight it was evident that Abril was dominating Rios with his defense and his reach advantage. By the end of the fight nearly every boxing analyst including the broadcasters had the fight easily for Abril.
Rios was instead awarded the split decision.
Almost immediately after the initial disgust left everyone it was suspected that decision was part of a plan to keep a potential fight between Rios and Juan Manuel Marquez alive. That fight would bring Top Rank and by extension Arum a lot of money.
Now that spectre has risen again with this fight. This fight made Top Rank a lot of money and Arum wins either way since he promotes both Pacquiao and Bradley. Despite the LOUD outcry about a possible boycott of a rematch, that fight will make a lot of money too.
The most disturbing part of the aftermath is that there is a rematch clause with a locked in date of November 10 in the contract. Judging from what both fighters said, they would take that rematch.Even as Arum has feigned outrage at the decision and 'demanded' an investigation into the scoring of the fight from the Nevada Attorney General, the rematch will happen. That would mean that the dream fight boxing fans want between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather would not happen this year.
The dream Mayweather-Pacquiao fight has been in negotiations for years with little progress. Many view Arum as the main roadblock to that fight. It is believed that Arum's bitterness towards Mayweather after he left Top Rank (along with Mayweather's insistence that he have the lion's share of the potential purse) are the only issues stopping one of the biggest paydays in boxing history from happening.
Arum has been viewed for a long time by boxing fans the same way they view promoter Don King. King has long been accused of killing the heavyweight division along with ripping off boxers like the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez. To boxing fans, Arum is only concerned with making money from fights and last night's fight did nothing to change that perception.
This is what is truly killing boxing. It isn't the quality of the fights, but the money interests and the politics of the sports that is pushing fair weather fans away and is causing die hard fans to grow even more cynical.
There is time to fix this. Many are now looking at Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions to become the saviors of the sport.
I hope they can be.
Showing posts with label Boxing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boxing. Show all posts
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Paul Williams Tragedy Adds to A Controversial Year in Boxing
No one likes to hear a worst-case scenario in an accident, whether it's a close loved one or simply someone that is known by their trade. Today is no different.
On Monday boxing manager George Peterson confirmed reports that one of his fighters, Paul 'Punisher' Williams, was involved in a motorcycle accident on Sunday in an Atlanta suburb. He also told Ring.tv that doctors have said that Williams in now paralyzed from the waist down and will never walk again.
Williams was scheduled to challenge rising Mexican star and WBC Junior Middleweight Champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on September 15.
The apparent end of Williams' career just adds a sad chapter to what has been a controversial year in boxing so far both inside and outside the ring.
Inside the ring two fights stand out so far this year for controversy.
The first fight was on April 14 in Las Vegas, NV as Brandon Rios fought Richard Abril in a match between two top 10 fighters in the lightweight division. Abril was a replacement fighter for Rios as he was originally scheduled to go against Yuriorkis Gamboa, who pulled out of the fight due to unhappiness about his $1.1 million purse. Rios failed to make the 135 lb. weight requirement for the second fight in a row and went into the fight at 139 lbs. Abril came into the fight as a 5/1 underdog. After a good first round by both fighters Abril began to set the tone of the fight. Rios looked sluggish as the fight progressed and didn't seem to have an answer to Abril's defense. Nearly every boxing analyst had Abril winning the fight, but the judges gave Rios a split decision victory. To say that people were not amused would be an understatement. ESPN boxing reporter Dan Rafael called the decision "absolutely disgusting." Freelance reporter Mike Rosenthal said that "No way Rios won that fight." Promoter Lou DiBella said that the decision is why 'We (boxing) suck as a legit sport."
The second fight happened three weeks earlier on March 24 in Houston, TX as James Kirkland fought Carlos Molina in a junior middleweight bout. Kirkland was making his second comeback in the division after suffering setbacks in the ring (a shocking loss to Nobuhiro Ishida) and out (two prison stints for armed robbery and weapons possession by a felon.) The fight was going Molina's way through the first nine rounds as he was hitting Kirkland more accurately throughout. Kirkland looked out of his element as he was trying to out-box Molina even though he's a natural brawler. That started to change in the tenth round as Kirkland started letting his hands go and hurt Molina. Almost exactly at the bell rang to end the round Kirkland scored a knockdown. The rules of the fight stated that a referee has to administer a ten count to a fighter even if he was knocked down at the end of a round. The ringing of the bell caused some confusion in Molina's corner as one member came into the ring thinking that the round was over as the referee was administering the ten count. That caused the referee to disqualify Molina after a short pause. While the referee's decision was technically the correct one, it was panned by analysts. The blame was mainly aimed at the Texas Boxing Commission for their corner inspectors not stopping the man in Molina's corner from stepping in the ring during the ten count. It was later revealed that Kirkland suffered a shoulder injury during the fight.
Outside the ring controversy has stopped two rematches from happening.
The first instance happened on May 9 when a title fight rematch scheduled for May 19 between junior welterweights Amir Khan and Lamont Peterson was cancelled as Peterson tested positive for a banned substance in both his 'A' and 'B' samples. That substance turned out to be synthetic testosterone. Peterson admitted that he did take the substance, but said that he is taking it for medical reasons. It was also revealed that Peterson started taking testosterone in October 2011, which was before his first bout with Khan where he won the IBF and WBA Junior Welterweight belts in a split decision. Khan's main promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, has now asked for the result of the first fight to be changed to a 'no contest' thus giving the titles Khan lost back to him.
Khan and Golden Boy Promotions have now scheduled a fight with Danny Garcia on July 14 in Las Vegas for Garcia's WBC Junior Welterweight title.
The second instance happened only nine days removed from the first. On May 18 it was revealed that Andre Berto tested positive for norandrosterone, a version of the anabolic steroid Nandrolone. That caused his June 23 welterweight fight against Victor Ortiz, a rematch of Ring Magazine's 2011 Fight of the Year, to be cancelled. That fight produced Berto's only loss in his career. While Berto has denied taking the substance, his claims are on shallow water as Victor Conte of BALCO infamy is in his training camp. Unlike the Peterson situation where it was weeks between the 'A' and 'B' sample being tested, Berto's camp informed Golden Boy Promotions (Ortiz's promoter) of the positive 'A' immediately. That allowed Golden Boy time to quickly test the 'B' sample and to find a replacement for Berto to face Ortiz without moving the date of the fight.
Ortiz is now scheduled to face Josesito Lopez on the same scheduled date as the Berto fight in Los Angeles.
Three potentially great fights set for this year lost, two by controversy and one by tragedy.
Luckily it looks like all three fighters that lost opponents to these events won't be stalled by them.
Khan has a chance to retake his spot at the top of the junior welterweight division. Ortiz will get to regain steam after losing his last fight against the world's best pound-for-pound fighter in Floyd Mayweather Jr. Alvarez is now finalizing talks to make a mandatory WBC Junior Middleweight title defense against Kirkland.
It's only been half a year and boxing has been hit hard. There is still time to turn it around though. Khan-Garcia, Ortiz-Lopez, and (potentially) Alvarez-Kirkland all can be good fights. There is also still talks that the dream fight between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao can still happen this year.
The sweet science can still get up to fight again.
On Monday boxing manager George Peterson confirmed reports that one of his fighters, Paul 'Punisher' Williams, was involved in a motorcycle accident on Sunday in an Atlanta suburb. He also told Ring.tv that doctors have said that Williams in now paralyzed from the waist down and will never walk again.
Williams was scheduled to challenge rising Mexican star and WBC Junior Middleweight Champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on September 15.
The apparent end of Williams' career just adds a sad chapter to what has been a controversial year in boxing so far both inside and outside the ring.
Inside the ring two fights stand out so far this year for controversy.
The first fight was on April 14 in Las Vegas, NV as Brandon Rios fought Richard Abril in a match between two top 10 fighters in the lightweight division. Abril was a replacement fighter for Rios as he was originally scheduled to go against Yuriorkis Gamboa, who pulled out of the fight due to unhappiness about his $1.1 million purse. Rios failed to make the 135 lb. weight requirement for the second fight in a row and went into the fight at 139 lbs. Abril came into the fight as a 5/1 underdog. After a good first round by both fighters Abril began to set the tone of the fight. Rios looked sluggish as the fight progressed and didn't seem to have an answer to Abril's defense. Nearly every boxing analyst had Abril winning the fight, but the judges gave Rios a split decision victory. To say that people were not amused would be an understatement. ESPN boxing reporter Dan Rafael called the decision "absolutely disgusting." Freelance reporter Mike Rosenthal said that "No way Rios won that fight." Promoter Lou DiBella said that the decision is why 'We (boxing) suck as a legit sport."
The second fight happened three weeks earlier on March 24 in Houston, TX as James Kirkland fought Carlos Molina in a junior middleweight bout. Kirkland was making his second comeback in the division after suffering setbacks in the ring (a shocking loss to Nobuhiro Ishida) and out (two prison stints for armed robbery and weapons possession by a felon.) The fight was going Molina's way through the first nine rounds as he was hitting Kirkland more accurately throughout. Kirkland looked out of his element as he was trying to out-box Molina even though he's a natural brawler. That started to change in the tenth round as Kirkland started letting his hands go and hurt Molina. Almost exactly at the bell rang to end the round Kirkland scored a knockdown. The rules of the fight stated that a referee has to administer a ten count to a fighter even if he was knocked down at the end of a round. The ringing of the bell caused some confusion in Molina's corner as one member came into the ring thinking that the round was over as the referee was administering the ten count. That caused the referee to disqualify Molina after a short pause. While the referee's decision was technically the correct one, it was panned by analysts. The blame was mainly aimed at the Texas Boxing Commission for their corner inspectors not stopping the man in Molina's corner from stepping in the ring during the ten count. It was later revealed that Kirkland suffered a shoulder injury during the fight.
Outside the ring controversy has stopped two rematches from happening.
The first instance happened on May 9 when a title fight rematch scheduled for May 19 between junior welterweights Amir Khan and Lamont Peterson was cancelled as Peterson tested positive for a banned substance in both his 'A' and 'B' samples. That substance turned out to be synthetic testosterone. Peterson admitted that he did take the substance, but said that he is taking it for medical reasons. It was also revealed that Peterson started taking testosterone in October 2011, which was before his first bout with Khan where he won the IBF and WBA Junior Welterweight belts in a split decision. Khan's main promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, has now asked for the result of the first fight to be changed to a 'no contest' thus giving the titles Khan lost back to him.
Khan and Golden Boy Promotions have now scheduled a fight with Danny Garcia on July 14 in Las Vegas for Garcia's WBC Junior Welterweight title.
The second instance happened only nine days removed from the first. On May 18 it was revealed that Andre Berto tested positive for norandrosterone, a version of the anabolic steroid Nandrolone. That caused his June 23 welterweight fight against Victor Ortiz, a rematch of Ring Magazine's 2011 Fight of the Year, to be cancelled. That fight produced Berto's only loss in his career. While Berto has denied taking the substance, his claims are on shallow water as Victor Conte of BALCO infamy is in his training camp. Unlike the Peterson situation where it was weeks between the 'A' and 'B' sample being tested, Berto's camp informed Golden Boy Promotions (Ortiz's promoter) of the positive 'A' immediately. That allowed Golden Boy time to quickly test the 'B' sample and to find a replacement for Berto to face Ortiz without moving the date of the fight.
Ortiz is now scheduled to face Josesito Lopez on the same scheduled date as the Berto fight in Los Angeles.
Three potentially great fights set for this year lost, two by controversy and one by tragedy.
Luckily it looks like all three fighters that lost opponents to these events won't be stalled by them.
Khan has a chance to retake his spot at the top of the junior welterweight division. Ortiz will get to regain steam after losing his last fight against the world's best pound-for-pound fighter in Floyd Mayweather Jr. Alvarez is now finalizing talks to make a mandatory WBC Junior Middleweight title defense against Kirkland.
It's only been half a year and boxing has been hit hard. There is still time to turn it around though. Khan-Garcia, Ortiz-Lopez, and (potentially) Alvarez-Kirkland all can be good fights. There is also still talks that the dream fight between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao can still happen this year.
The sweet science can still get up to fight again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)