Topic: Sports
| Subject | HOLYFIELD ROBBED OF 5TH TITLE -- MORE BOXING CORRUPTION? |
| DateCreated | 12/20/2008 3:43:00 PM |
| PostedDate | 12/20/2008 3:06:00 PM |
| Body | Boxing has a history of curious/corrupt judging decisons due to shady backroom deals. Moments ago was yet another example of bad judging leaving one to wonder about the corruption factor in this fight and in the sport. Evander Holyfield --a 46 year-old man who was given no chance of victory-- called up what skills he had left to outbox a plodding Russian giant (Nikolai Valuev). SI.Com scored the fight overwhelmingly for Holyfield. Yet, when the scorecards were read, yet another boxer had been robbed by nefarious judging. I watch a sport program in Chicago every week on CLTV called 'Sports Page.' A frequent guest on the show is boxing promoter Bobby Hitz, who makes no secret of his dislike for boxing's rival sport: Mixed martial arts (MMA). When asked why MMA is so popular now while boxing is in decline, he frequently says that he doesn't know why because he doesn't see the excitement in quick fights with guys wrestling on the ground. I like both sports --boxing and mma-- and I do agree with Bobby that boxing is more exciting. However, I see one big reason for the switch from boxing to mixed martial arts for fan and network dollars alike. That reason is judging (i.e.fight climax). A good fight, whether in boxing or mma, builds drama and carries the hopes and aspirations of fans for their favorite warrior. Even if a fan doesn't have a favorite in the fight, a good fight begs for a good decision when judging is involved. That fight becomes tainted, and actually deflating, when you see a fighter clearly win a battle, only to have shady characters at ringside take it away. In all but one of the UFC, Pride, and Elite-XC mma fights that I've ever seen, the fighter who clearly won the fight also got the decision. Whether your fighter comes out on top or not, in mma you can see who's winning and the judges see it too. In boxing it doesn't matter who's winning the fight. It only seems to matter who the powers that be want to win. Besides the current robbery of Evander Holyfield, boxing's history is littered with bad judging decisions. I will never forget the robbery of Pernell Whitaker when he fought Julio Cesar Chavez. Pernell won every round and got a draw. In an earlier fight, that same Julio Cesar Chavez got a gift when the referee stopped a fight that he was losing to Meldrick Taylor with seconds left. I could go on listing bad decisions back to the days of Ali, and that's the sad point. Boxing has shot itself in the foot with a history of shady scoring, and it continues... Boxing powers that be heed this warning: Clean up your sport before mixed martial arts cleans you out. |
Posted by Steven Whitehurst
at 3:06 PM CST
Updated: Wednesday, 25 February 2015 2:29 PM CST
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Updated: Wednesday, 25 February 2015 2:29 PM CST
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