Controversial scorecard shines negative light on boxing judges
In the co-main event of a FOX boxing telecast, welterweight Mykal “The Professor” Fox (22-3, 5 KO’s) appeared to be the victim of highway robbery. Fox was stepping in as a late replacement to fight amateur standout and former Olympian Gabriel Maestre (4-0, 3 KO’s). In the ring, Fox literally boxed circles around Maestre, demonstrated slick defense and popped his jab all night long. Despite his apparent success, the judges gave the decision to Maestre to the tune of 113-115, 112-115 and 110-117.
While none of the scores were good, by far the most egregious ruling, 110-117, belongs to Gloria Martinez-Rizzo. It would be extremely enlightening and interesting to see Mrs. Martinez-Rizzo explain how she arrived to this final verdict. There is no question that this card has ignited a fire in many of the fans of the sport. After being displeased with her decision, and going through her social media for more background information, many are finding a plethora of racially distasteful entries. Naturally, the theory is being present that her card was so skewed because of racial prejudice. The WBA crowned Martinez-Rizzo, wife to WBA executive Ricardo Rizzo, as their Judge of the Year in 2019. Ironically, this nugget resurfaced around the same time these tweets were posted.
CLEAR AS DAYLIGHT
These posts certainly don’t look good. However, 3kingsboxing is not interested in marring Martinez-Rizzo’s character or assigning her any ugly labels. At the same time, this is a teachable moment. This still highlights how important judges are and how easily personal bias could play a role in scoring. Along with the fans, even long-time boxing staple, promoter and former HBO executive Lou DiBella recognizes that the scoring for Fox versus Maestre was dripping with corruption.
NOW WHAT
If we are being honest, this is not the first robbery, nor will it be the last. So it’s ironic that despite their grand power in the fight game, judges are largely unknown and unrecognizable to the fans and general boxing public. Even when judges are clearly guilty of bungling a scorecard, for whatever the reason, little if anything is ever said about it publicly after the day of the incident. This begs the question: when will there be more accountability on the part of the judges?
With our current level of social media and technology, it seems far-fetched that we cannot devise a better system of tracking judges, their rulings and be kept abreast of what happens to them when a questionable card is brought into question. If we assume the worst about Gloria Martinez-Rizzo, for example, then biased rulings like this should immediately be subjected to formal review that is completed before the public eye. And if we were to assume that Martinez-Rizzo was innocent of any ill-will, this ludicrous scorecard should still be explained before the boxing populace.
Either way, for the sake of the fans and the boxers, let’s hope that something changes about the judging system. Fighters shouldn’t still be getting flat-out held up for their win. And if they are, there should be a swiftly moving system in place to ferret out a plausible rationale or dole out the appropriate penalty. Well, that’s what would happen in a perfect world. Let’s see what we get in this one!
By: Bakari Simpson
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